Dissertation Link: http://www.humaninquiry.com/Dissertation.htm
Determining the nature and degree of a region’s
centralization
from the material record has been a common goal of archaeology throughout its history, and for the Casas Grandes region of Northern Mexico during the Medio period (A.D. 1200 – 1450), it is a goal that has not been met with any wide agreement. I have attempted to add to our understanding of the region’s
centralization by examining the nature of the regional manifestation of the Native American rubber ballgame. As a phenomenon, the ballgame is generally agreed to have played an important political, economic, and religious role in the societies in which it was found. Using phylogenetic analysis and seriation, I have examined the spatial and temporal transmission of ballcourt characteristics across the region. The results suggest that local innovations were combined with distant cultural influences to form three intellectually related, yet distinct versions of the ballgame. And by interpreting the transmission of these ballgame intellectual traditions within a multilevel selection theoretical framework, I have reached some conclusions regarding the nature of the region’s centralization, centered on the site of Paquimé.
Starting at the beginning of the Medio period and continuing to the middle of the period, there appears to be a general transition from a larger, regional area of interacting and competing settlements of relatively equal status, to a smaller core area, loosely controlled to varying degrees by a small group of elites from the site of Paquimé. The end result of this transition appears to be a two-tiered system of competing elites within an approximate 2800 square kilometer local area in the vicinity of Paquimé. Local elites/kin groups (as represented by individual settlements with ballcourts) appear to have been subservient to the Paquimé elites (at least with regards to the
primary ballgame tradition in play at that time). However, these local elites/kin groups appear to also have been in competition amongst themselves, primarily with their nearest neighbors. And Paquimé’s influence and control varies throughout this local area, as reflected in this primary ballgame tradition. But at some point after A.D. 1350, the institutionalized leadership structures that helped organize the core area began to lose their authority for reasons yet unknown As a result, the various cults, including the primary ballgame tradition/cult present at the time, whose function was in part to support the institutionalized leadership structures, began to destabilize along with the rest of society, and by A.D.1450 the Casas Grandes Medio period phenomenon had ceased to exist.