What the Teuchitlán Tradition Is, and What the Teuchitlán Tradition Is Not

The Teuchitlán Tradition of Jalisco, Mexico is one of Mesoamerica’s earliest complex societies, but one that has not escaped from a rigid neo-evolutionary description. While this phenomenon has been variously described as a state-like society, a segmentary state, or a chiefdom, archaeologists continue to investigate its socio-political and economic structure. This chapter maintains that this lacuna can be partially filled if researchers focus on political strategies rather than political “types.” This chapter, therefore, addresses the segmentary state model as it has been applied to the Teuchitlán Tradition, but rather than using it as a type, it examines how these political formations are constructed, by whom, and for what purpose. It evaluates and tests the current evidence against the archaeological correlates expected for the segmentary state model, incorporating published literature and presenting new empirical data from the region

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Latin American history and culture · Philosophy

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  Open Access•Verenice Y Heredia Espinoza•Frontiers in Political Science•2022

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