Chemical Characteristics of Obsidian from Archaeological Sites in Western Mexico and the Tequila Source Area

Implications for Regional and Pan-Regional Interaction Within the Northern Mesoamerican Periphery

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6033763
AutoresCharles D Trombold (Washington University in St. Louis, autor de correspondencia), James F Luhr (Smithsonian Institution), Toshiaki Hasenaka (0000-0001-9096-3983, Tohoku University), Michael D Glascock (0000-0003-0686-7556, University of Missouri)
Año1993
Volumen4
Número2
Páginas255-270
Fecha de publicación1993-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536100000948
OpenAlexW2138265416
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas14
Referencias citadas23

A total of 51 obsidian samples from archaeological sites in western Mexico (La Quemada, Totoate, Las Ventanas, Laguna San Marcos) and from the Tequila source area were analyzed chemically by direct-current plasma atomic emission spectrometry (DCP) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in an effort to identify the sources of the archaeological obsidian by step-wise discriminant analysis of the data. Surprisingly, only 3 of the 39 archaeological samples (2 from Laguna San Marcos and 1 from Las Ventanas) could be correlated with a Volcán Tequila source (Teuchitlan). Four other groups of archaeological obsidian were recognized. The largest, Group Y, was found to be derived from the La Lobera source located near the Jalisco–Zacatecas border. This source accounted for 12% of La Quemada obsidian and a higher proportion for Las Ventanas and Totoate. Source locations for the remaining three groups could not be determined from the existing chemical data base. These results could indicate that a minimum of interaction took place between La Quemada and the Teuchitlan cultural tradition. It shows that one focus of La Quemada's trade endeavors was in the Río Bolaños/Tlaltenango valleys. This study also indicates that organized obsidian trade between the Mexican core and its outer periphery was probably not a factor between a.d. 400 and 800

Archaeology · Geography · Mesoamerica · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Latin American history and culture · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies