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Cerro Danush: Excavations at a Hilltop Community in the Eastern Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico
Ronald K. FaulseitMonte Albán was the capital of the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, ca. 500 BC–AD 600, but once its control began to wane, other sites filled the political vacuum. Archaeologists have long awaited a meticulous excavation of one of these sites—one that would help us better understand the process that transformed second-tier sites into a series of polities or señoríos that competed with each other for centuries.
This book reports in detail on Ronald Faulseit's excavations at the site of Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl in the Valley of Oaxaca. His 2007–2010 mapping and excavation seasons focused on the Late Classic (AD 600–900) and Early Postclassic (AD 900–1300). The spatial distributions of surface artifacts—collected during the intensive mapping and systematic surface collecting—on residential terraces at Cerro Danush are analyzed to evaluate evidence for craft production, ritual, and abandonment at the community level. This community analysis is complemented by data from the comprehensive excavation of a residential terrace, which documents diachronic patterns of behavior at the household level. The results from Faulseit's survey and excavations are evaluated within the theoretical frameworks of political cycling and resilience theory. Faulseit concludes that resilient social structures may have helped orchestrate reorganization in the dynamic political landscape of Oaxaca after the political collapse of Monte Albán.
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Contents
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List of Figures
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List of Tables
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Foreword, by Kent V. Flannery and Joyce Marcus
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Acknowledgments
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1. Introduction
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Epiclassic Mesoamerica
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The Transition from Classic to Postclassic in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Classic to Postclassic Growth, Decline, and Abandonment: A Reassessment
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Collapse, Resilience, and Reorganization in Complex Societies
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Summary of Research Design
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Abandonment Patterns
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Summary of Field Methods
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2. The Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl Region
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Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl: The Archaeological Site
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The Rise and Decline of Monte Albán
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The Late Classic/Terminal Classic Transition
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The Terminal Classic in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Postclassic Reorganization in the Valley of Oaxaca
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3. Household Archaeology in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Project Research Scheme
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The Evolution of the House Complex in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Household Production, Specialization, and Political Economy in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Household Ritual in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Late/Terminal Classic Patterns of Site Abandonment in the Valley of Oaxaca
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Summary and Concluding Remarks
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4. Mapping and Surface Collection on Cerro Danush
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Mapping Cerro Danush
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Terraces and Terrace Groups on Cerro Danush
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Surface Collection Procedures
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Artifact Analysis and Laboratory Procedures
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Concluding Remarks
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5. Density Distribution Analyses of Surface Artifacts
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General Description of the Data Set
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Quantitative Assessment of the Ceramic Data Set
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Quantitative Assessment of the Chipped Stone Data Set
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Surface Distribution Patterns
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Principal Components and Correspondence Analyses
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Conclusions
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6. The Excavation of Terraces S19 and S20
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A Description of the Excavation Area
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Establishing the Excavation Grid
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General Excavation Procedures
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Stratigraphy and Depositional History of the Terraces
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Horizontal Excavation of Terrace S19
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Description of Structures from the Most Recent Occupational Surface
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Stratigraphic Excavations on Terrace S19
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Description of Archaeological Features Associated with the Most Recent Occupation
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Earlier Occupational Structures and Features
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Radiocarbon Analyses
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The Occupational History of Terrace S19
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Conclusions
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7. Spatial Distributions of Artifacts and Implied Behavioral Patterns in an Early Postclassic Residence
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Laboratory Procedures
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Qualitative Assessment of the Artifact Assemblage
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Domestic Offerings from the West Patio Complex, Terrace S19
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Quantitative Assessment of the Artifact Assemblage
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Characterizing Domestic Life in the Residential Compound, Terrace S19
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Conclusion
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8. Breakdown and Reorganization at Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl
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Terminal Classic Abandonment Patterns on Cerro Danush
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Late Classic to Early Postclassic Community Ritual at Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl
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Late Classic to Early Postclassic Domestic Ritual
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Late Classic to Early Postclassic Household Production
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Classic Decline and Postclassic Reorganization in the Dainzú-Macuilxóchitl Region
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Resistance to Authority
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Appendix A: Ceramic Chronology for the Valley of Oaxaca
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Appendix B: Artifact Categories
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References Cited
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Color Plates
- 978-0-915703-82-1 (paper)
- 978-1-951519-72-8 (ebook)