Casas Grandes Region Research Articles

Bringing the Inert to Life: The Activation of Animate Beings

Animist cultures around the world are based on interactions among humans and other-than-human beings. Humans are active agents in this process and often establish alliances with other-than-human beings to accomplish a variety of goals. The means of establishing these alliances is an emerging area of interest in studies of animist ontologies. We demonstrate here that these allies are often object-persons specifically made or modified by humans to have desired spiritual and physical properties. Examples of common object-persons range from domestic residences to shamanic drums to sacred bundles used for ritual activities. We further establish that object-persons go through a life cycle typically starting with a process that activates and modifies latent agency. We demonstrate this process using case studies from the North American Southwest, especially during the Medio period (AD 1200 to 1450) occupation of the Casas Grandes region of northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Our primary examples are the creation of three Mesoamerican-style ballcourts and a water reservoir at Paquimé, which is the ceremonial and political center of the Medio period world. These examples reflect the underlying animistic ontology of this culture and provide a case study of the relationship between material religion and ritual practice that frames animistic religious practices.

Archaeomagnetic dating and magnetic characterization of ceramics from the Paquimé, Casas Grandes region, Chihuahua, Mexico

Casas Grandes is a prehistoric culture area located between Chihuahua, northern Mexico, and New Mexico, southwest of United States of America. It had an intense occupation with large buildings during the ceramic period, from 0 to 1450 CE, developing very particular painted potteries. In this study, magnetic properties and archaeointensity experiments were investigated on two special ceramic types called Mimbres and polychrome Ramos. They come from four archaeological sites from Casas Grandes region in northern Chihuahua: Paquimé, Villa Ahumada, Galeana, and Samalayuca. Archaeological timing and typology assign Mimbres and Ramos to an age period between 900 and 1450 CE, but no absolute ages are available. Magnetic properties show that Mimbres and Ramos have different magnetomineralogical properties, suggesting that pottery making materials were different. Mean archaeointensity results were obtained from nine different pottery sherds, five from Mimbres and four from Ramos polychrome, for a total of 35 specimens. Intensity value range from 49 to 59 µT for Mimbres type and from 41 to 49 µT for Ramos type. Archaeomagnetic dating was performed using the SHAWQ2k global model and the Maghoub regional paleosecular variation curve. Archaeomagnetic dating give an absolute age range of 960–1100 CE for Mimbres type, and of 1300–1600 CE for Ramos samples, confirming that both ceramic types were manufactured at different times. These results highlight the potential of archaeomagnetism to precise the chronological framework of Casas Grandes culture.

SOURCING CHIHUAHUAN POLYCHROME CERAMICS: ASSESSING MEDIO PERIOD ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION

Traditionally, the wide distribution of distinctive Chihuahuan polychrome ceramics has been interpreted as evidence for the extensive interaction sphere of Casas Grandes, or Paquime. The role of the major center of Paquime in the political and economic system is a crucial question in defining the nature and intensity of interactions in the Casas Grandes region and the extent of intraregional social and political integration. A large-scale, regional sourcing project using Chihuahuan polychrome ceramics provides new information on their production and distribution. It also demonstrates the limitations of ceramic sourcing analyses and presents a strong case for the fact that the underlying geology of a region determines the resolution at which ceramics can be attributed to production loci or resource procurement zones.

AN ETHNOARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON GROUND STONE PRODUCTION AT THE SANTIAGO QUARRY IN THE CASAS GRANDES REGION OF CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes region of northern Mexico, but little is known about how and where they were produced. During a survey project in 2013, we located a quarry, the first discovered in this region, where grinding stones were manufactured using a suite of stone tools. We report the morphology of the site, the tool kit of themetateros(metate makers), and ethnoarchaeological implications resulting from the study of modernmetaterosthat can aid in the interpretation of prehistoric ground stone quarries.

Social Interaction, Social Status, and the Organization of Medio Period Craft Production as Evidenced in Ground Stone Artifacts from 76 Draw

ABSTRACTThe analysis of ground stone artifacts is a productive avenue for gaining useful information regarding the past societies of the North American Southwest. Here we present the results of the analysis of 255 ground stone items recovered from 76 Draw, a Medio period (AD 1200 to 1450) settlement in New Mexico. We find that locally available stone was used to make a variety of utilitarian items. We then compare the assemblage to previously reported ground stone assemblages from Paquimé (the economic and political center of the Medio period world) and nearby sites in northern Chihuahua, Mexico. We find that our assemblage is very similar to those from the smaller Medio period settlements but quite distinct when compared to Paquimé’s assemblage. Paquimé’s ground stone reflects an emphasis on non-utilitarian ornaments, religiously significant items such as effigies, and distinct utilitarian items such as well-formed metates produced by specialists. In contrast, the 76 Draw and other assemblages reflect an emphasis on utilitarian items produced at the household level. From this, we conclude that the social differentiation evident at Paquimé and reflected in its ground stone assemblage did not extend across the entire Casas Grandes region, even though utilitarian ground stone tools reflect the same technological system.

The Spirit in the Material: A Case Study of Animism in the American Southwest

AbstractPeople often imbue their surroundings, including tools, with a “life essence” that makes them active objects. A growing number of archaeologists are beginning to study how such “living” beings impact human behavior. These archaeologists use the term “object agency,” but employ many different ontologicai approaches. We explore this variation, and present a framework comparing different ontologicai models archaeologists use. We adopt an animistic perspective, and evaluate its applicability to the Southwest using ethnographic and archaeological data. We further propose that it is applicable throughout the New World. Puebloan potters consider pots living beings with a spiritual essence that is affected by and that impacts humans. Pottery manufacture is a mutual negotiation between the potter and the clay to create a “Made Being” with its own spiritual and material aspects. We conclude that a similar ontology is reflected in effigy pots and globular jars from the Casas Grandes region. Ultimately we conclude that this perspective provides useful insights into the placement, decoration, and discard of many vessels that have puzzled Southwestern archaeologists for decades.

Rock Art in the Casas Grandes Region: Report of Seven New Sites and a Review of the Literature

Rock Art in the Casas Grandes Region: Report of Seven New Sites and a Review of the Literature

The neighbors of Casas Grandes: excavating medio period communities of northwest Chihuahua, Mexico

Casas Grandes, or Paquime, in northwestern Mexico was of one of the few socially complex prehistoric civilizations in North America. Now, based on more than a decade of surveys, excavations, and field work, Michael Whalen and Paul Minnis provide a comprehensive new look at Casas Grandes and its surrounding communities in The Neighbors of Casas Grandes. This volume provides a fascinating and detailed look into the culture of the Casas Grandes area, involving not just the research of the architecture and artifacts left behind but also the ecology of the area. The authors? research reveals the complex relationship Casas Grandes had with its neighbors, varying from very direct contact with some communities to more indirect links with others. Important internal influences on the area's development come to light and population sizes throughout the period demonstrate the absorption of the surrounding populations into Casas Grandes as it reached the peak of its power in the region. New discoveries suggest the need to revise the previously held beliefs about the age of Casas Grandes and the dates of its rise to power. This ancient civilization may have developed as early as 1180 AD. Such breakthroughs provide fresh insight about not only Casas Grandes but the nearby settlements as well. The Neighbors of Casas Grandes is an important and vital piece of primary field research for all those interested in the Southwest's archaelogy and history. Its contribution to the knowledge of the Casas Grandes region is monumental in helping us better understand the society that once flourished there.

The signs of the sacred: Identifying shamans using archaeological evidence

Anthropologists have determined that shamanism is a robust cross-cultural pattern, but they still have many methodological and theoretical issues to resolve. Central to archaeological religious studies is the need to develop a general and rigorous methodology for identifying the presence and structure of shamanism. This discussion begins by discussing shamans as a polythetic class and proposes that shamans and priests as they are commonly defined do not represent dichotomous religious structures, but rather reflect two ends of a continuum. The paper then presents a methodology for identifying and studying shamanism based on cross-cultural regularities in shamanic tools (sacra) and shamanic experiences. The methodology is then applied to the Casas Grandes region and Pottery Mound, both from the North American Southwest, and indicates that shamanic ritual was likely present during the late prehistoric occupation of the region.

SURVEYING CERRO DE MOCTEZUMA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

Cerro de Moctezuma is conspicuous for having the only known habitation (El Pueblito) on a hill in the Casas Grandes Valley and has drawn the attention of explorers and archaeologists for more than a century. The first systematic mapping project at Cerro de Moctezuma is presented and evaluated against settlement system data from the Casas Grandes region. The results of the project show that the hill has a greater variety and number of features than most nearby settlements. These findings indicate that Cerro de Moctezuma was a specialized site related to the ritual and political structure that emanated from the preeminent center of Paquimé.

The Shaman-Priests of the Casas Grandes Region, Chihuahua, Mexico

The Casas Grandes culture flourished between two well-known regions: Mesoamerica and the North American Southwest. An analysis of Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) pottery suggests that Paquimé, the center of the Casas Grandes world, was dominated by shaman-priests. The pottery includes images that document a “classic shamanic journey” between this world and the spirit world. These images can be connected to the leaders of Paquimé and to valuable objects from West Mexico, indicating that the Casas Grandes leadership had more in common with the Mesoamerican system of shaman-leaders than with the political system of the Pueblo world of the North American Southwest.

Specialized Ground Stone Production in the Casas Grandes Region of Northern Chihuahua, Mexico

Previous research has identified specialized production of prestige goods during the Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) in the Casas Grandes region of northwestern Mexico and the American Southwest. We evaluate the organization of production of two functionally equivalent types of trough metates from Paquimé, Chihuahua, Mexico, using the standardization hypothesis, i.e., the premise that products produced by specialists have less variation than those manufactured by less-specialized producers. We find that the morphology of one of the metate types (Type 1A metates) is statistically more standardized than the other (Type 1B metates). We then compare the Paquimé metates to those manufactured by generalized producers from the Mimbres Valley region of New Mexico. We find that Mimbres through-trough metates and the Type 1B metates from Paquimé have a similar degree of morphological variation, but that the Type 1A Paquimé metates are morphologically more standardized, indicating that specialists produced them. We conclude that specialized production in the Casas Grandes region was not limited to prestige goods but was instead a fundamental organizing principle of the Medio period economic system, reflecting the presence of a well-established social hierarchy and exchange system.

Practice Makes Within 5% of Perfect: Visual Perception, Motor Skills, and Memory in Artifact Variation

Practice Makes Within 5% of Perfect: Visual Perception, Motor Skills, and Memory in Artifact Variation

Flaked Stone and Social Interaction in the Casas Grandes Region, Chihuahua, Mexico

This analysis uses flaked stone artifacts to gain insight into the social and economic structure of the Casas Grandes region, northern Chihuahua, Mexico. It begins by considering the intrasite variation in flaked stone reduction at Galeana, a large site near the modern town of Galeana. The analysis of debitage and cores from Galeana indicates that the assemblage is primarily the product of hard hammer, generalized reduction of locally available materials. Differences within the assemblage indicate the presence of spatially distinct reduction areas, with initial core reduction occurring in open areas, and then continuing in room blocks. We then compare the Galeana assemblage with the flaked stone assemblage from the site of Paquimé (Casas Grandes), Chihuahua. The analysis indicates that the reduction technique employed at both sites is similar, but that the Paquimé assemblage is characterized by a greater proportion of cryptocrystaline silicates and obsidian than the Galeana assemblage. Furthermore, much of the raw material from Paquimé does not appear to be locally available. We conclude that the prehistoric inhabitants of Paquimé had greater access to cryptocrystaline silicates and obsidian acquired through trade than did the inhabitants of Galeana. This evidence indicates that the economic pattern evident at Paquimé did not extend to Galeana and supports the idea that Paquimé's economic and political influence over other Casas Grandes sites was limited beyond a 30-km radius.

Ball Courts and Political Centralization in the Casas Grandes Region

Ball courts are well-known features of Mesoamerican societies and of the Hohokam culture of the American Southwest. In both cases, the courts are argued to have served a range of ritual, economic, and political purposes. Ball courts have long been known to exist in the northwestern Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora as well as in the adjacent portion of New Mexico, although they have never been extensively described or interpreted. This paper presents a large, new set of ball court data for the area around the great Prehispanic center of Paquime (or Casas Grandes), Chihuahua. These data suggest that the region around Paquime may have been characterized by a relatively low level of political centralization, regardless of the social and economic alliances that existed among neighboring communities.

The Effects of Desalination on Archaeological Ceramics From The Casas Grandes Region in Northern Mexico

A preliminary investigation into the effects of desalination on archaeological ceramics with evidence of use as cooking pots, from the Casas Grandes region in northern Mexico, was carried out. Soluble salts extracted during desalination were identified by ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP), and related to local raw materials and the burial environment. The extraction of other soluble components in the ceramics during desalination, such as organic materials used in the manufacture or present as a result of the ceramic's use, was investigated by analysing dry residues of the desalination solutions. Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), pyrolysis gas chromatography (Py-GC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyse the desalination residues. Changes in the microstructure as a result of prolonged immersion in distilled/deionised water were examined by petrographic analysis and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) of thin sections prepared from six sherds before and after desalination. The effect of desalination on the physical property of colour was also examined. The results of the experimental work suggest that desalination has significant limitations that need to be considered before its application as a conservation treatment for archaeological as well as ethnographic ceramics with deterioration due to salts.

Survey of Archaeological Remains in Northwestern Chihuahua

Previous articleNext article No AccessSurvey of Archaeological Remains in Northwestern ChihuahuaRobert H. ListerRobert H. Lister Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 2, Number 4Winter, 1946 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/soutjanth.2.4.3628545 Views: 2Total views on this site Citations: 12Citations are reported from Crossref Journal History This article was published in the Southwestern Journal of Anthropology (1945-1972), which is continued by the Journal of Anthropological Research (1973-present). PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Dorothy K. Washburn Comparative Analysis of Three Analytical Methodologies for Polychrome Design: Ceramic Typology, Design Elements/Styles, and Design Symmetries on Chihuahuan Polychromes, Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 29, no.33 (Nov 2021): 902–938.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09542-6Daniel J. King, Michael T. Searcy, Chad L. Yost, Kyle Waller Corn, Beer, and Marine Resources at Casas Grandes, Mexico: An Analysis of Prehistoric Diets Using Microfossils Recovered from Dental Calculus, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 16 (Dec 2017): 365–379.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.10.013Caryn E. Tegtmeyer, Ryan P. Harrod When Elites Wage War: Violence and Social Coercion Along the Chaco Meridian, (Feb 2017): 71–91.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48396-2_5John G. Swogger Ceramics, Polity, and Comics, Advances in Archaeological Practice 3, no.11 (Jan 2017): 16–28.https://doi.org/10.7183/2326-3768.3.1.16Michael E. Whalen, Paul E. Minnis Ceramics and Polity in the Casas Grandes Area, Chihuahua, Mexico, American Antiquity 77, no.33 (Jan 2017): 403–423.https://doi.org/10.7183/0002-7316.77.3.403Steve Swanson Documenting Prehistoric Communication Networks: A Case Study in the Paquimé Polity, American Antiquity 68, no.44 (Jan 2017): 753–767.https://doi.org/10.2307/3557071Michael E. Whalen, Paul E. Minnis The Local and the Distant in the Origin of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, American Antiquity 68, no.22 (Jan 2017): 314–332.https://doi.org/10.2307/3557082Gordon F.M. Rakita, Gerry R. Raymond The Temporal Sensitivity of Casas Grandes Polychrome Ceramics, KIVA 68, no.33 (Jul 2016): 153–184.https://doi.org/10.1080/00231940.2003.11758474Michael E. Whalen, Paul E. Minnis Ball Courts and Political Centralization in the Casas Grandes Region, American Antiquity 61, no.44 (Jan 2017): 732–746.https://doi.org/10.2307/282014Paul E. Minnis, Michael E. Whalen, Jane H. Kelley, Joe D. Stewart Prehistoric Macaw Breeding in the North American Southwest, American Antiquity 58, no.22 (Jan 2017): 270–276.https://doi.org/10.2307/281969Ronna J. Bradley Marine Shell Exchange in Northwest Mexico and the Southwest, (Jan 1993): 121–151.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1149-0_5C. Earle Smith, Eric O. Callen, Hugh C. Cutler, Walton C. Galinat, Lawrence Kaplan, Thomas W. Whitaker, Richard A. Yarnell Bibliography of american archaeological plant remains, Economic Botany 20, no.44 (Oct 1966): 446–460.https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904068