An Archaeological Survey of the Onavas Valley, Sonora, Mexico: A Landscape of Interactions During the Late Prehispanic Period Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Gallaga Murrieta, Emiliano Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 05/10/2021 13:21:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195834 1 AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE ONAVAS VALLEY, SONORA, MEXICO: A LANDSCAPE OF INTERACTIONS DURING THE LATE PREHISPANIC PERIOD By Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta ________________________ Copyright © Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta 2006 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2 0 0 6 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta. Entitled “An Archaeological Survey of the Onavas, Valley, Mexico: A Landscape of Interactions during the Late Prehispanic Period”. and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dr. Paul Fish _______________________________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dr. Suzanne Fish _______________________________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dr. Takeshi Inomata _______________________________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dr. Thomas Sheridan _______________________________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dr. Alice Schlegel Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: March 30, 2006 Dissertation Director: Dr. Paul Fish. 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, to my parents Lic. Roberto Gallaga and Lic. Ofelia Murrieta for its love, support, and encouragement that allow me to be an archaeologist and achieve my dreams and goals. To my brother Francisco and his family, who send my good vibes from Belgium. This project was financed by a Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0424743); the Anthropology Department of the University of Arizona, the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, and CONACYT. I am grateful for the permission and support of the Consejo de Arqueología, INAH-Mexico. I thank Dr. Paul Fish and Dr. Suzanne Fish for their support, comments, and friendship, as well as Dr. Richard Pailes from the University of Oklahoma and Dr. Charles Spencer and Dr. Christina M. Elson from the American Museum of National History, New York City, for facilitating access to their material collections. Lic. Elisa Villalpando and the staff of INAH-Sonora also deserve my gratitude for their academic and technical support. I much appreciate the efforts of Mayela Pastrana (que en Paz descanse), Cory Harris, Cesar Villalobos, Maricruz Magaña, Coral Montero and “Inge” Armando for providing valuable participation in the field, working and analyzing materials. A very special thank you I extend to the Onavas community and its authorities, who gave the OVAP their support and helped us in many ways, making our stay in their community unforgettable. Last but not least, thanks go to Gillian Newell for her comments, work, and emotional support. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES………..…………………………………………………8 LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………...10 ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………….11 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………12 Research Objectives……………………………………………………….15 Research Organization…………………………………………………….20 CHAPTER 2: GEOGRAPHICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY…26 Geography and Geology..………………………………………………….27 Climate…………………………………………………………………….33 Vegetation…………………………………………………………………34 Fauna………………………………………………………………………36 Chapter Summary………………………………………………………….37 CHAPTER 3: PREVIOUS RESEARCH IN SOUTHERN SONORA………39 Archaeological Research during the Twentieth Century.............................43 Richard Pailes and the Río Sonora Archaeological Tradition..…………...49 The Pima Bajo of Central Sonora Ethnographic Project……………….…53 Archaeological Research at the end of the Twentieth Century...……….…54 Research at the beginning of the Twenty-First Century…………………..56 Archaeological Traditions of Southern Sonora…………………………...59 CHAPTER 4: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE………………………..….67 Chiefdoms………………………………………………………………...68 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Community………………………………………………………………..76 Landscape Structure…………………………………………………….…82 Ethnohistory…………………………………………………………….....90 Evaluation of Ethnohistoric Data………………………………………….93 Chapter Summary………………………………………………………....103 CHAPTER 5: FIELDWORK…………………………………………….......105 Onavas Valley Archaeological Project Survey….………………………...110 Results……………………………………………………………………..118 CHAPTER 6: ONAVAS VALLEY MATERIAL CULTURE………………144 Ceramics…………………………………………………………………..145 Ceramic Summary........................................................................................178 Lithics……………………………………………………………………..182 Lithic Summary..........................................................................................215 Shell……………………………………………………………………….219 Shell Summary............................................................................................230 Bone……………………………………………………………………….234 Preliminary Chronology for the Onavas Valley…………………………..237 Chapter Summary…………………………………………………………249 CHAPTER 7: THE ONAVAS VALLEY CULTURAL LANDSCAPE…….253 Settlement Ecology / Settlement Pattern………………………………….255 Ritual Landscape………………………………………………………….276 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED Chapter Summary…………………………………………………………286 CHAPTER 8: CULTURAL LANDSCAPE IN THE NORTHWEST MEXICO/ U.S. SOUTHWEST………………………………………………………………..290 The Marana Community Survey Project …………………………………292 The Casas Grandes Regional Survey Project …………………………….301 The Cerro de Trincheras Settlement and Land Use Survey Project ……..310 Preliminary Comparison with the OVAP…………………………………317 Chapter Summary…………………………………………………………331 CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSIONS AND FINAL THOUGHTS……………....335 Departing Thought: Where Did They Go From Here?..............................347 APPENDIX A: SUMMARY OF MATERIAL DATA FOR ALL SITES….349 APPENDIX B: ONAVAS VALLEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT SITE DESCRIPTIONS…………………………………..………………………..352 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………461 8 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1.1, Location of Onavas Valley in the Middle Río Yaqui region and points of comparison in the Northwest and points of comparison in the Northwest …..…….22 FIGURE 1.2, Prehispanic Indian groups in the region during the colonial Period…23 FIGURE 1.3, Archaeological traditions of Northwest Mexico/U.S. Southwest……24 FIGURE 1.4, Comparative time line of regional archaeological traditions…………25 FIGURE 2.1, Sonora physiographic divisions…………………………………..…..27 FIGURE 2.2, Cross-section from the coast to the Sierra showing the location of the Onavas Valley……………………………………………………………………….28 FIGURE 2.3, A common geomorphic cross-section of a typical river valley from eastern Sonora…………………………………………………….…………………………30 FIGURE 2.4, Precipitation pattern and rivers of Sonora………………………..…..31 FIGURE 2.5, Onavas Valley geologic and topographic features………………..….32 FIGURE 2.6, Onavas Valley vegetation zones…………………………………..….35 FIGURE 3.1, Missions and presidios in Sonora in 1742……………………………41 FIGURE 3.2, Early travelers and researchers……………………………………….42 FIGURE 3.3, Sites recorded by Gordon Ekholm 1937-1940………………….……45 FIGURE 3.4, Excavation of site # 54 at Soyopa by Ekholm………………….…….48 FIGURE 3.5, Río Sonora Project by Richard Pailes, 1972…………………….……50 FIGURE 3.6, Pedro Estrella Tánori’s family at Onavas, Sonora, 1960s……………54 FIGURE 3.7, The Onavas Valley Archaeological Project area, summer 2003…..…56 FIGURE 3.8, Possible Platform mound, SON P:10:12………………………….….58 FIGURE 3.9, Stone house foundation, SON P:10:27 ….………………………..….58 FIGURE 5.1, The OVAP research area and total sites recorded……………………125 FIGURE 5.2, Geographical distribution of sites by period…………………………126 FIGURE 5.3, Camp site geographical distribution……..…………………...………127 FIGURE 5.4, Residential sites geographical distribution…………………………...128 FIGURE 5.5, Residential structures types…………………………………………..130 FIGURE 5.6, El Altar, SON P:10:70………………………………………………..134 FIGURE 5.7, El Cementerio,