Seriating Trincheras Bichrome Pottery and Understanding Nearly a Millennium of Regional Ceramic Production

Abstract

Nearly a century ago, pioneering investigations in northern Sonora led to the first discussion of Trincheras tradition ceramics. Since then, only cursory attempts have been made to understand the temporal and spatial variability of Trincheras bichrome pottery. A recent detailed attribute analysis of pottery from sites across Sonora and southern Arizona has resulted in the region’s first ceramic seriation and a revised decorated ceramic typology. In this paper, I synthesize the results of this study, highlight key technological differences which occurred over nearly a millennium, and argue that the Trincheras tradition was one of the earliest producers of bichrome ceramics in the Southwest/Northwest. A revision of Trincheras ceramic typologies has been much needed and is invaluable for archaeologists working in both Sonora and Arizona.

Hace casi un siglo que las investigaciones pioneras en el norte de Sonora iniciaron las primeras discusiones sobre la cerámica de tradición Trincheras. Desde entonces, poco se había intentado para comprender la variabilidad temporal y espacial de la cerámica bicroma Trincheras. Un reciente y detallado análisis de los atributos de las cerámicas de sitios en Sonora y el sur de Arizona, ha dado como resultado la primera seriación cerámica de la región y una tipología revisada de la cerámica decorada. En este artículo, sintetizo los resultados de este estudio, expongo las diferencias tecnológicas importantes que ocurrieron a lo largo de casi un milenio, y argumento que la tradición Trincheras fue una de las primeras productoras de cerámica bicroma en el Suroeste/Noroeste. La revisión de las tipologías cerámicas Trincheras ha sido muy necesaria y es de gran valor para los arqueólogos que trabajan en Sonora y Arizona.

KEYWORDS:

• Seriation
• ceramic typologies
• Trincheras tradition
• Sonoran desert
• bichrome pottery
• Northern Mexico
• attribute analysis
• graphical guide

Acknowledgments

This research was made possible through the binational collaboration of numerous academics and institutions. Thank you to Eta Pastreich, Alejandra Abrego, and Juanita Sandoval for assisting with the analysis. Additional gratitude is owed to Centro INAH Sonora, the Centro de Visitantes de la Zona Arqueológica Cerro de Trincheras, the Universidad de Sonora, Arizona State Museum, the Amerind Museum, the Huhugam Heritage Center, and the University of New Mexico, Hibben Center, for opening their collections to me.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 This analysis was conducted under the authorization of the Consejo de Arqueología.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Science Foundation [award number 2131178].