Early Farming and Warfare in Northwest Mexico

The archaeological investigations of Cerro Juanaqueña and related sites in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico, reveal a series of watershed developments, including dependence on agriculture, early experiments with village living, fortified settlements, collective labor, and communal architecture. The emergence of large fortified agricultural villages at 1300 BC before the use of ceramics is an unexpected discovery that changes how archaeologists view early agriculture in the region. The authors place their work in a regional and theoretical context and provide detailed analyses of radiocarbon dates, structures, features, and artifacts. They argue that these cerros de trincheras sites are the earliest fortified defensive sites in the region.

Format: Hardback
Length: 440 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2020
Publisher: University of Utah Press,U.S.

This comprehensive volume presents the results of multiyear archaeological investigations conducted at Cerro Juanaqueña and related sites in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. These remarkable terraced hilltop settlements, spanning several centuries, represent a series of significant watershed developments, including a profound reliance on agriculture and early experiments with village living, fortified settlements, collective labor, and communal architecture. As part of a larger regional landscape, these settlements parallel changes observed in northern Sonora and southern Arizona.

A remarkable discovery made during these investigations is the emergence of large fortified agricultural villages at around 1300 BC, predating the widespread use of ceramics in the region. This unexpected finding has fundamentally shifted archaeologists' understanding of early agriculture in this area.

The authors of this work contextualize their findings within a regional and theoretical framework, providing detailed analyses of radiocarbon dates, structures, features, and artifacts. Contributors Hard and Roney, along with their team, present innovative interpretations of plant and animal remains, ground stone, chipped stone, and landscape evolution. Through comparisons with a global cross-cultural probe of hilltop sites and a thorough examination of the characteristics and artifacts at Cerro Juanaqueña, Hard and Roney argue that these cerros de trincheras sites constitute the earliest fortified defensive sites in the region.

This volume is of immense value to readers with interests in ancient agriculture, warfare, village formation, and material culture. It serves as a foundational resource that contributes significantly to our understanding of the past and sheds light on the complex processes that shaped human societies in this region.

Dimension: 279 x 216 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781607816782