Coxcatlan Cave
Encyclopedia
Coxcatlan Cave is a Mesoamerican
archaeological site in the Tehuacán Valley
of Puebla, Mexico. It was discovered by Richard MacNeish in the 1960s during a survey of the Tehuacán Valley.
for groups of foragers
as large as 25-30 individuals.
It is one of a collection of cave sites in the Tehuacan Valley. Each have similar archaeobotanical
remains and cultural artifacts, representing a trade community present.
These “macroband” camps, made up of “microband” family groupings, would occupy cave sites in the region during a time when food resources were especially plentiful. Evidence of large quantities of food remains contributes to the belief that these caves were used for collecting and storing plants during periods of harvest.
that much of the historical and cultural record was established, especially from the Archaic period when the cave was most active.
-formed 7 Coxcatlán cave is located in the Tehuacan Valley highlands amidst the dry thorn forest typical of the Sierra Madre
mountainous region. The site and others in close proximity, are separated by the mountains from the coastal plain where the Olmec
chiefdom of Tres Zapotes
was located.
is known in archaeology of this area to be essential to sedentary life. The discovery of remains in this cave and others, then, is important to the archaeological record in this region. The development of agriculture is evidence of the Law of Least Effort and Romenʼs Rule, encouraging practices that promote higher productivity to secure and store a greater amount of food.
The maize remains found at the site were radiocarbon dated to be from 5000 BC and were originally thought to be the earliest evidence of fully domesticated maize. However a further analysis discovered the first appearance of fully domesticated maize to be from ca. 2700 BC. This discovery allows archaeologists a frame of reference for the chronology of the progression of agriculture in Mesoamerican cultures. The time period following this introduction of maize oriented agriculture is called the Coxcatlan Phase
, which includes the years 5700-3825 BC.
A later, more thorough study by Bruce D. Smith of museum-held artifacts from the region established a complete description of the remains in the cave, based on radioactive dating of the material. This analysis of temporally sensitive artifact types also produced information of 42 occupations, 28 habitation zones, and seven cultural phases. As of 2005, there are 71 radiocarbon
dates are available to document the history of the site.
The top seven archaeological zones of the cave contains evidence of ceramic periods of occupation in the cave. The evidence of archaeobotanical remains is also the greatest in these top layers, partially due to an obvious postdepositional disturbance of the cultural materials in the cave. Such action has been confirmed with radiocarbon dating by Smith and others.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
archaeological site in the Tehuacán Valley
Tehuacán Valley matorral
The Tehuacán Valley matorral is a xeric shrubland ecoregion, within the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, in central Mexico.-Setting:The ecoregion occupies the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys, covering parts of Puebla and Oaxaca states. The valleys lie in the rain shadow of the surrounding...
of Puebla, Mexico. It was discovered by Richard MacNeish in the 1960s during a survey of the Tehuacán Valley.
Overview
It was used over a span of 10,000 years, mostly during the Archaic period, as a shelter and gathering place during the rainy seasonWet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
for groups of foragers
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
as large as 25-30 individuals.
It is one of a collection of cave sites in the Tehuacan Valley. Each have similar archaeobotanical
Paleoethnobotany
Paleoethnobotany, also known as archaeobotany in European academic circles, is the archaeological sub-field that studies plant remains from archaeological sites...
remains and cultural artifacts, representing a trade community present.
These “macroband” camps, made up of “microband” family groupings, would occupy cave sites in the region during a time when food resources were especially plentiful. Evidence of large quantities of food remains contributes to the belief that these caves were used for collecting and storing plants during periods of harvest.
History
It is due to the extensive study of the site by Dr. Richard (Scotty) MacNeishRichard MacNeish
Richard Stockton MacNeish , known to many as "Scotty", was an American archaeologist. His fieldwork revolutionized the understanding of the development agriculture in the New World, the prehistory of several regions of Canada, the United States and Central and South America...
that much of the historical and cultural record was established, especially from the Archaic period when the cave was most active.
Location
The karstKARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
-formed 7 Coxcatlán cave is located in the Tehuacan Valley highlands amidst the dry thorn forest typical of the Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
mountainous region. The site and others in close proximity, are separated by the mountains from the coastal plain where the Olmec
Olmec
The Olmec were the first major Pre-Columbian civilization in Mexico. They lived in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco....
chiefdom of Tres Zapotes
Tres Zapotes
Tres Zapotes is a Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the south-central Gulf Lowlands of Mexico in the Papaloapan River plain. Tres Zapotes is sometimes referred to as the third major Olmec capital , although Tres Zapotes' Olmec phase constitutes only a portion of the site’s history, which...
was located.
Maize
MaizeMaize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
is known in archaeology of this area to be essential to sedentary life. The discovery of remains in this cave and others, then, is important to the archaeological record in this region. The development of agriculture is evidence of the Law of Least Effort and Romenʼs Rule, encouraging practices that promote higher productivity to secure and store a greater amount of food.
The maize remains found at the site were radiocarbon dated to be from 5000 BC and were originally thought to be the earliest evidence of fully domesticated maize. However a further analysis discovered the first appearance of fully domesticated maize to be from ca. 2700 BC. This discovery allows archaeologists a frame of reference for the chronology of the progression of agriculture in Mesoamerican cultures. The time period following this introduction of maize oriented agriculture is called the Coxcatlan Phase
Domesticated plants of Mesoamerica
Domesticated plants of Mesoamerica, established by agricultural developments and practices over several thousand years of pre-Columbian history, include maize and capsicum. A list of Mesoamerican cultivars and staples:-Maize:...
, which includes the years 5700-3825 BC.
Artifacts
Some of the items of interest found in the cave include: a corn cob dated to 5000 BC was found; evidence of squash, beans, bottle gourds; along with an ink pen and containing vessels using pre-ceramic material.A later, more thorough study by Bruce D. Smith of museum-held artifacts from the region established a complete description of the remains in the cave, based on radioactive dating of the material. This analysis of temporally sensitive artifact types also produced information of 42 occupations, 28 habitation zones, and seven cultural phases. As of 2005, there are 71 radiocarbon
Carbon-14
Carbon-14, 14C, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues , to date archaeological, geological, and hydrogeological...
dates are available to document the history of the site.
The top seven archaeological zones of the cave contains evidence of ceramic periods of occupation in the cave. The evidence of archaeobotanical remains is also the greatest in these top layers, partially due to an obvious postdepositional disturbance of the cultural materials in the cave. Such action has been confirmed with radiocarbon dating by Smith and others.