Geographic Origins, Status, and Identity at Paquimé, Northwest Chihuahua, Mexico
Date
2018-04-27
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Abstract
This thesis examines migration at Paquimé, an important prehistoric site in northwest Mexico that is widely recognized for its mix of Mesoamerican and Southwestern traits. The presence of foreign objects and ideology has stimulated debate over whether Medio Period (A.D. 1200-1450) culture change was due to the arrival of foreign elites in the Casas Grandes region or to local developments. A crucial step in addressing this debate is to determine if high status immigrants were indeed present at Paquimé, which is the goal of this study. This is accomplished by using radiogenic strontium and stable oxygen isotope analyses to determine the geographic origins of a large sample of individuals from Paquimé and the Viejo Period Convento site. Comparative samples from sites within and outside the Casas Grandes region were analyzed to identify potential geographic origins of non-local individuals. Mortuary analyses were then conducted to assess social status and identity. Finally, two bioarchaeological case studies from mortuary contexts with suspected human sacrifices are presented to examine the relationship between geographic origins and ritual violence, and to explore the impacts of migration on Medio Period social dynamics. The results indicate that ~87% of Paquimé individuals were born locally or came from within the Casas Grandes region, while 13% migrated from neighbouring regions, including the American Southwest and other parts of northwest or west Mexico. At Convento, ~92% were local to the Casas Grandes region. Although the Medio Period was characterized by migration from more distant locations when compared to the preceding Viejo Period, none of the immigrants from neighbouring regions received high status mortuary treatment. Instead, the most elaborate burials at Paquimé belong to locally-born individuals, whose status was likely linked to ritual authority. Furthermore, most of the sacrificial victims were non-locals. These results suggest that Medio Period culture change was driven primarily by internal stimuli, including population aggregation from within the Casas Grandes region and sociopolitical maneuvering by local elites. The results also indicate that social tensions and competition for status, power, and/or resources led to asymmetrical power dynamics between locals and immigrants, which sometimes played out in ritually-charged contexts.
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bioarchaeology, isotope analysis, mortuary archaeology, ritual violence, human sacrifice, northwest Mexico
Citation
Offenbecker, A. M. (2018). Geographic Origins, Status, and Identity at Paquimé, Northwest Chihuahua, Mexico (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31879