An Archaeological Survey of the Altar Valley, Sonora, Mexico
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This grant permits Dr. McGuire to continue his archaeological                   survey of the Altar Valley region which is located in the                       northern part of Sonora, Mexico. Preliminary work has confirmed                 the presence of many sites referable to the Trincheras culture,                 which dates from approximately 200 to 1500 A.D. Trincheras sites                seem to be multi.functional and include defensive works,                        agricultural terraces and habitation structures. Preliminary work               indicates a relatively complex prehistory with major shifts in                  adaptations, changes in social organization and shifting inter.regional contactsMcGuire and his team will survey selected portions of the Altar                 Valley to locate sites. They will record site size, features and                environmental context. They will collect surface artifacts .                    which consist primarily of shell, ceramic and lithic remains .                  and analyze these. The goal of this work is to establish the                    basis for a longer term field project.                                                                                                                          What makes this region of special archaeological interest is that               it lies between the "high" culture areas in Central Mexico, to                  the South, and the Southwest U.S., to the North. Shell, which                   appears at a trade item in the Southwest sites is plentiful in                  the Altar Valley and this suggests that the region played a role                in a widespread shell trade. It is clear that a complex society                 developed in the Altar region but the extent to which trade                     served as a causal factor is unclear. Archaeolologists have                     theorized about the relationship betwen trade and the growth of                 such societal complexity and the Altar Valley provides an                       excellent area to examine this question. This project should also               shed a new light on the development of prehistoric Southwest                    cultures.                                                                                                                                                       This research is important for several reasons. It will shed new                light on the question of how complex societies such as our own                  develop and are maintained. Secondly there is a long history of                 archaeological research in the Southwestern U.S. While the Rio                  Grande River has prevented, for the most part, investigation in                 Northern Mexico, the river did not serve as barrier in                          prehistoric times. Thus McGuires work will provide important new                archeological data.
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