The Expansion of the Aztec Empire
A Case Study in the Correlation of Diachronic Archaeological and Ethnohistorical Data
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2575311 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael E Smith (0000-0002-0677-8206, Loyola University Chicago, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 37 |
| Publication date | 1987-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Antiquity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/281059 |
| OpenAlex | W2318439981 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 24 |
| References cited | 19 |
I examine the problems and potentials of correlating diachronic archaeological and ethnohistorical data through the case of the Aztec (Triple Alliance) conquest of western Morelos, Mexico. To date, nearly all of our knowledge of the Triple Alliance empire is derived from ethnohistorical sources with little contribution from archaeological data. Two methodological problems account for this disparity. First, current archaeological chronologies for Postclassic central Mexico are not precise enough to document the structure and growth of this relatively short-lived empire. Second, the issue of diachronic correlation of archaeological data with the native historical record has not been approached with a consistent methodology. I address these problems, demonstrating that Postclassic chronologies can be refined when the appropriate methods (in this case, nontypological ceramic analysis and quantitative seriation) are applied. The resulting chronological sequence for western Morelos is correlated with the diachronic native historical record for the area. Because of these procedures, the archaeological record can for the first time make a significant contribution to the study of the Triple Alliance empire
Ancient history · Archaeology · Empire · Geography · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Natural History · History · Latin American history and culture
Tequinho Geoglyph Site and Early Polychrome Horizon BC 500/300 - AD 300/500 in the Brazilian State of Acre
Aztec provincial administration at Cuetlaxtlan, Veracruz
Regional-level exchange in Postclassic Central Mexico
Merchant guilds in ancient Mesoamerica and their origins
New world complex societies
Using in‐field phosphate testing to rapidly identify middens at Piedras Negras, Guatemala
The Spatial Patterning of Aztec Ceramics
The Development of Prehispanic Cotton-Spinning Technology in Western Morelos, Mexico
The Viking Age settlement pattern of Langholt, North Iceland
Architectural Patterns at Three Aztec-Period Sites in Morelos, Mexico
A New Bayesian Chronology for Postclassic and Colonial Occupation at Xaltocan, Mexico
Agency, practice, and chronological context
The Role of Social Stratification in the Aztec Empire
Archaeological Views of Aztec Culture
A New Postclassic Chronology for Yautepec, Morelos
Postclassic Changes in Veracruz, Mexico
The Ceramics and Chronology of Cholula, Mexico
Long-Distance Trade under the Aztec Empire
Inka-Style Ceramics and Their Chronological Relationship to the Inka Expansion in the Southern Lake Titicaca Area (Bolivia)
Late Postclassic Chronology in Western Morelos, Mexico
Nonmarket Imperialism in the Prehispanic Americas
Black-on-Orange Ceramic Production in the Aztec Empire's Heartland
A New Archaeological Chronology for Aztec-Period Calixtlahuaca, Mexico
Archaeology and the Aztec empire
Energy and Structure
Ancient Mesoamerica
Section of Anthropology
The City-State in the Basin of Mexico
The Basin of Mexico
Bronze Age Migrations in the Aegean
On the Argument From Ceramics to History
Specialization, Market Exchange, and the Aztec State
Native Historical Traditions of Nuclear America and the Problem of Their Archeological Correlation
The Political Systems of Empires
A Late Postclassic Lithic Industry From Western Morelos
Fernando Cortés and the Marquesado in Morelos, 1522-1547
The Aztlan Migrations of the Nahuatl Chronicles
The Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Utatlan
Contemporary Central Mexican Ceramics
A Refinement of Chronological Seriation Using Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling
The Role of Social Stratification in the Aztec Empire
Aztec State Making
A Correlation of Archaeological and Historical Sequences in the Valley of Mexico
| Unique citing works | 24 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,6 |
| Citation span | 1986 - 2025 (40) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |