Raiding and Warfare in Early Farming Villages of the Sonoran Desert

Abstract

The archaeological record of the precolumbian Southwest US and Northwest Mexico contains a wide variety of evidence for violence and warfare. We examined osteological evidence for trauma from the site of La Playa in Sonora, Mexico to identify if violence was present during the Early Agricultural period in the Sonoran Desert (as it was in the northern Southwest) and, if present, identify the source of that violence (i.e., warfare vs. social control). Traumatic injuries were present in 58% of the skeletal sample (^TotalN = 131) and demonstrated that both males and females were both equally susceptible to accidents as well as victims of violence. Numerous healed cranial depression fractures, embedded projectile points, and probable forearm defensive fractures suggest that violence was endemic at the site, and more broadly across the Sonoran Desert during the Early Agricultural period. These patterns of violent traumatic injury mirror those expected for groups where raiding is common and may partly reflect captive taking and perhaps revenge killing.

Hay una gran variedad de violencia en el registro arqueológico del periodo precolombina en el suroeste de EEUU y noroeste de Mexico. Este estudio examino la evidencia por el trauma en el sitio de La Playa en Sonora para identificar si violencia era presente durante el periodo Agricultura Temprana en el desierto Sonorense (como en el norte de la región) y si presente que fue la fuente de esa violencia. Heridas traumáticas eran presentes en 58% de la muestra (^TotalN = 131) e indican que hombres y mujeres eran igualmente susceptibles como víctimas de accidentes, así como violencia. Una cantidad de fracturas de depresión craneal curadas, puntas de proyectiles enterradas, y fracturas en los brazos defensivas reflejan que la violencia era endémica en el sitio y mas bien por toda el área del desierto Sonorense durante el periodo Agricultura Temprana. Estos patrones de trauma reflejan el patrón común por grupos que practican ataque y puede ser parte de violencia por venganza y tomar cautivos.

KEYWORDS:

• Early agricultural period
• Trauma
• Violence

Notes

1 The EAP chronology can be further divided into three broad phases (see Vint and Mabry 2015): Unnamed Phase (2100–1200 BC); San Pedro phase (1200–800 BC); Cienega phase (800 BC–AD 50)—this last phase is also further divided into an Early (800–400 BC) and Late (400 BC–AD 50) subphase.