The Trincheras Culture of Northern Sonora

Abstract

Archaeological investigations at La Playa site, 75 miles south of the international border in northern Sonora, Mexico, have yielded detailed information on the Trincheras culture. This culture, which is associated with the drainages of the Magdalena and Altar rivers, is characterized by terraced-hillside sites, rock corrals or enclosures, and a ceramic complex consisting primarily of Trincheras Purple-on-red and Trincheras Polychrome. Intrusions of Trincheras sherds into dated sites of southern Arizona indicate a date range of A.D. 800 to 1100 for the complex in its most typical form. Comparisons of the La Playa artifact assemblage with surrounding archaeological manifestations indicate close parallels with the Desert Hohokam culture of Papagueria, and on the basis of these comparisons the Trincheras culture is considered a part of this complex.