Urbanization and Imperial Integration at Angamuco, Michoac�n, Mexico

AS Cohen�- Journal of Field Archaeology, 2021 - Taylor & Francis
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2021Taylor & Francis
This article discusses the urban landscape of Angamuco, located in the Pur�pecha
(Tarascan) imperial heartland in western Mexico. Angamuco was occupied between the
Late Preclassic through Late Postclassic periods (250–1530 ad) and included an
occupation with monumental architecture and artifacts that can be linked to the Pur�pecha
Empire. This paper provides an occupation model for Angamuco using radiocarbon
determinations and artifact associations. Excavation and survey data show: 1) urbanization�…
Abstract
This article discusses the urban landscape of Angamuco, located in the Pur�pecha (Tarascan) imperial heartland in western Mexico. Angamuco was occupied between the Late Preclassic through Late Postclassic periods (250–1530 a.d.) and included an occupation with monumental architecture and artifacts that can be linked to the Pur�pecha Empire. This paper provides an occupation model for Angamuco using radiocarbon determinations and artifact associations. Excavation and survey data show: 1) urbanization at Angamuco should be viewed as a diachronic process that must be contextualized with contemporaneous sociopolitical and environmental changes and 2) imperial integration at Angamuco is most visible in the incorporation of imperial material packages, including distinctive architecture and symbols, that were used in public ritual activities.
Taylor & Francis Online