A Revision of the Archaeological Sequence in Sinaloa, Mexico

Abstract

An archaeological sequence for the Sinaloa coastal strip of western Mexico had previously been developed by Sauer and Brand, Isabel Kelly, and Gordon Ekholm. Investigations carried out by Southern Illinois University and associates from 1952 to 1958 in Durango, across the Sierra Madre Occidental to the east of Sinaloa, have established an independent archaeological sequence. The presence of trade pottery and other artifacts from Sinaloa in the Durango sites makes possible an independent check of the Sinaloa sequence. This cross correlation essentially confirms the basic Sinaloa sequence of (early to late) Chametla, Aztatlan, and Culiacan periods, but indicates that there is some overlap between these major horizons and that the Aztatlan period is actually divisible into three more or less sequent phases: an early Lolandis phase, an intermediate Acaponeta phase, and a terminal Guasave phase. Re-examination of the Sinaloa sequence confirms and expands these conclusions, resulting in this revision of the archaeological sequence for Sinaloa. For consistency, a revised terminology for the various phases is also presented.