In Search of a Borderland: Archaeological Patterns of Northwest Mexico and Neighbors, by Matt Pailes

The Mexican Northwest frequently has been invoked as a tierra incognita in grand schemas of continental history. Was it the origin point for major social movements? The source or destination of populations known from the US Southwest? Or even more basically, is there continuity in traditions from the US Southwest to Mesoamerica? Thanks to decades of work by Mexican and international archaeologists we can now begin to place Northwest Mexico in its rightful place in continental scale narratives.
In this March 21, 2024 "Third Thursday Food for Thought” Zoom presentation, archaeologist Matthew C. Pailes, PhD, presents a review of recent archaeological research in Northwest Mexico that focuses on the Casas Grandes, Trincheras, and Sierra Madre Occidental regional traditions. New data suggest the Sierra Madre Occidental region presents a unique story of persistent occupation for millennia, avoiding the boom and bust political cycles of many neighbors. Though rooted in widespread and long-held traditions shared across the Northwest and the US Southwest, this part of what is now Mexico resisted incorporation into the religious and political tumult that characterized much of the 1200s to 1400s in the US Southwest. Dr. Pailes considers whether these two observations are related and, if so, how we can understand the large-scale political history of the combined US Southwest and Northwest Mexico.
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” Zoom webinars, on the Third Thursday evening of each month, feature presentations on archaeological, historical, and cultural topics.