essay

Ancient urbanism at Xochicalco: the evolution and organization of a pre-Hispanic society

University of Utah Press1Published In 2000 • Pages: xvi, 321

By: Hirth, Kenn.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Hirth presents the results of his field work in western Morelos and at the site of Xochicalco. He and his team mapped the architectural remains at the site of Xochicalco and the surrounding countryside, conducted systematic surface collection, excavated a few areas within the site, and later collected obsidian samples from quarry sites in central Mexico in order to source the obsidian. This volume presents an overview of the site's urban development and evolution. Hirth is able to examine such things as architecture and household size; estimate the population for the main site and the surrounding area; look at craft specialization, Xochicalco's economy, and long distance trade; examine community organization and probable [n]calpulli[/n] divisions; and propose some working hypotheses as to why the site developed in such a marginal area.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Settlements
Structures
Exchange and transfers
Demography
Archaeological survey methods
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Central Mexico Postclassic
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2009
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Mexico
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry; 2008
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
off and on from 1976 to 1995
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1350 BP-1100 BP(650 AD-900 AD)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Xochicalco, Morelos, central Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
Kenneth Hirth
Includes bibliographical references and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
99027545
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Indians of Mexico--Mexico--Xochicalco--Antiquities/Indians of Mexico--Urban residence--Mexico--Xochicalco/City planning--Mexico--Xochicalco--History/Excavations (Archaeology)--Mexico--Xochicalco--Maps/Archaeological surveying--Mexico--Xochicalco--Maps/Xochicalco Site (Mexico)/Xochicalco (Mexico)--Antiquities