Publication Information
Author:
Abrams,
Elliot Marc, 1954-
Title:
Investigation of an obsidian midden at Cihuatecpan,
Mexico
Published in: Excavations at Cihuatecpan, an Aztec village in the
Teotihuacan Valley, edited by Susan T. Evans ; with contributions by Elliot M.
Abrams, Susan T. Evans, and Bruce Gregory McCoy
Published By:
Excavations at Cihuatecpan, an Aztec village in the
Teotihuacan Valley, edited by Susan T. Evans ; with contributions by Elliot M.
Abrams, Susan T. Evans, and Bruce Gregory McCoy
Nashville, Tenn.: Vanderbilt University, 1988.
235-238 p.
By line: by Elliot M. Abrams
HRAF Publication Information: New Haven, Conn.:
HRAF, 2009. Computer File
Culture:
Central Mexico Postclassic (NU93)
Subjects:
Mineral resources (135);
Lithic industries (324);
Refuse disposal and sanitary facilities (364);
Recording and collecting in the field (126);
;
Post depositional processes in archaeological sites (138);
Archaeological excavation methods (1210);
Abstract:
In the course of conducting the settlement survey
and excavation of structures and features at the Aztec village of Cihuatecpan in
1984, two dense concentrations of obsidian debitage were encountered, and one of
these, designated Operation 8, was investigated further, forming the basis of
this article. The first part of this investigation involved the collection of
artifacts - both obsidian and non-obsidian - from the surface of the site,
followed by a test excavation of the feature itself. The quantity of obsidian,
both in absolute weight and in density, clearly indicates that this feature was
a midden deposit. The overwhelming presence of pressure and percussion flakes in
the midden indicates that it served as the refuse area in the production of
grey-black obsidian bifacial tools (p.237).
Document Number:
5
Document ID: nu93-005
Document Type:
Essay
Language:
English
Field Date:
1984
Evaluation:
Archaeologist-5
Analyst:
John Beierle;
2008
Coverage Date:
1300-430 BP (700-1570
AD)
Coverage Place:
Cihuatecpan,
Mexico
LCSH:
Aztecs--Antiquities/Land settlement patterns,
Prehistoric--Mexico/Cihuatecpan Site (Mexico) Mexico, Valley of
(Mexico)--Antiquities
