Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-25wd4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T21:30:13.264Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mass Production and Procurement at Valle del Azufre: A Unique Archaeological Obsidian Source in Baja California Sur

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

M. Steven Shackley ,
Justin R. Hyland  and
Maria de la Luz Gutierrez M.
M. Steven Shackley
Affiliation:
Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology and Department of Anthropology, 103 Kroeber Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3712
Justin R. Hyland
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 232 Kroeber Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3710
Maria de la Luz Gutierrez M.
Affiliation:
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Centro Regional, Av. 16 de Septiembre No. 1520, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Valle del Azufre is a newly discovered source of high-quality obsidian in central Baja California, which exhibits the most intensive exploitation of any known source in the greater United States Southwest and Northwest Mexico. Over 15 subsurface trenches and at least one adit occur at the source. Evidence for the prehistoric distribution of Valle del Azufre obsidian is presented based on energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry characterization of the source material and artifacts from the Baja California peninsula. Despite the intensity of exploitation at the source, the distribution of Valle del Azufre glass appears to be largely restricted to the central part of the peninsula.

Resumen

Resumen

Valle del Azufre es un recién descubierto yacimiento de obsidiana de alta calidad. Este yacimiento exhibe una explotación intensiva, mayor que cualquier otro yacimiento en el suroeste de los Estados Vnidos y el noroeste de México. Hay más de 15 minas en el yacimiento. Se presenta evidencia acerca de la distributión prehistórica de obsidiana de Valle del Azufre basada en la caracterización química de la materia prima y artefactos que proceden de diversas partes de la península de Baja California. A pesar de la intensidad de la explotación en el yacimiento, aparentemente la distributión del vidrio volcánico de Valle del Azufre se restringe principalmente al área central de la península.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 61 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 718 - 731
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Aschmann, H. 1959 The Central Desert of Baja California: Demography and Ecology. Ibero-Americana 42.Google Scholar
Banks, T. J. 1971 Geologic Obsidian Sources for Baja California. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 7(l): 24–26.Google Scholar
Baugh, T. G., and Nelson, F. W. 1987 New Mexico Obsidian Sources and Exchange on the Southern Plains. Journal of Field Archaeology 14: 313–329.Google Scholar
Bayman, J. M. 1995 Rethinking “Redistribution” in the Archaeological Record: Obsidian Exchange at the Marana Platform Mound. Journal of Anthropological Research 51: 37–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouey, P. D. 1984 Obsidian Studies and their Implications for Prehistory. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 2Q﹛\): 55-bd. Google Scholar
Bouska, V 1993 Natural Classes. Ellis Horwood, New York.Google Scholar
Bowen, T. 1976 Seri Prehistory: The Archaeology of the Central Coast of Sonora, Mexico. Anthropological Papers 27. University of Arizona, Tucson.Google Scholar
Carmean, K. 1994a Archaeological Investigations in the Cape Region's Canon de San Dionisio. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 30(1): 25–51.Google Scholar
Carmean, K. 1994b A Metric Study of Baja California Sur Projectile Points. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 30(l): 52–74.Google Scholar
Crosby, H. W. 1975 The Cave Paintings of Baja California: The Great Murals of an Unknown People. Copley Books, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Crosby, H. W. 1984 The Cave Paintings of Baja California. Revised edition. Copley Books, La Jolla, California.Google Scholar
Dahlgren, B., and Romero, J. 1951 La prehistoria baja californiana: Redescubrimiento de pinturas rupestres. Cuadernos Americanos 58(4): 153–177.Google Scholar
de la Luz Gutierrez M., M., and Hyland, J. R. 1993 Primer Informe Tecnico del Proyecto Arte Rupestre Sierra de San Francisco, Baja California Sur, Manuscript on file, Consejo de Arqueologia, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico, D.F.Google Scholar
de la Luz Gutierrez M., M., and Hyland, J. R. 1994a La Punta Clovis de El Batequi. Arqueologia Mexicana 2(8): 82–83.Google Scholar
de la Luz Gutierrez M., M., and Hyland, J. R. 1994b Arte Rupestre de Baja California Sur. Arqueologia Mexicana 2(10): 84–89.Google Scholar
de la Luz Gutierrez M., M., and Hyland, J. R. 1995a An obsidian fluted point from central Baja California. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 17(1): 126–128.Google Scholar
de la Luz Gutierrez M., M., and Hyland, J. R. 1995b Informe Tecnico del Proyecto Arte Rupestre Baja California Sur. Manuscript on file, Consejo de Arqueologia, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico, D.F.Google Scholar
Douglas, R. D. 1981 An Archaeological Reconnaissance in Arriba de Arroyo Matomi, Baja California Norte, Mexico. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 17(1): 63–69.Google Scholar
Gallagher, J. P. 1977 Contemporary Stone Tools in Ethiopia: Implications for Archaeology. Journal of Field Archaeology 4: 407–414.Google Scholar
Gastil, G., Krummenacher, D., and Minch, J. 1979 The Record of Cenozoic Volcanism Around the Gulf of California. Geological Society of America Bulletin 90: 839–857.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glascock, M. D. 1991 Tables for Neutron Activation Analysis. 3rd ed. Research Reactor Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia.Google Scholar
Glascock, M. D., and Anderson, M. P. 1993 Geological Reference Materials for Standardization and Quality Assurance of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 174(2): 229–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Govindaraju, K. 1989 Compilation of Working Values and Sample Description for 272 Geostandards. Geostandards Newsletter 13 (special issue).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, C. 1974 Rock Art of Baja California. Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Grant, C. 1984 Technical Considerations in X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of Obsidian. In Obsidian Studies in the Great Basin, edited by Hughes, R. E., pp. 21–25. Archaeological Research Facility Contribution 45. University of California, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Hausback, B. P. 1984 Cenozoic Volcanic and Tectonic Evolution of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Geology of the Baja Peninsula 39: 219–236.Google Scholar
Holmes, W. H. 1900 The Obsidian Mines of Hidalgo. American Anthropologist 2: 405–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, W. H. 1919 Handbook of Aboriginal American Antiquities: I. The Lithic Industries. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 60. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Hughes, R. E. 1986 Trace Element Composition of Obsidian Butte, Imperial County, California. Southern California Academy of Science Bulletin 85(1): 35–45.Google Scholar
Hughes, R. E. 1988 Archaeological Significance of Geochemical Contrasts Among Southwestern New Mexico Obsidians. The Texas Journal of Science 40(3): 297–307.Google Scholar
Hughes, R. E., and Smith, R. L. 1993 Archaeology, Geology, and Geochemistry in Obsidian Provenance Studies. In Scale on Archaeological and Geoscientific Perspectives, edited by Stein, J. K. and Linse, A.R. pp. 79–91. Special Paper 283. Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colorado.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, R. E., and Smith, R. L. 1994 Prehistoric Subsistence and Mobility in the Sierra de San Francisco, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Paper presented at the 59th Annual Meetings of the Society for American Archaeology, Anaheim, California.Google Scholar
Hughes, R. E., and Smith, R. L. 1996 Valle del Azufre: A new obsidian source in central Baja California. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly, in press.Google Scholar
Lesko, L. M. 1989 A Reexamination of Northern Arizona Obsidians. Kiva 54: 385–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LeTourneau, P. D. 1994 Geologic Investigations of the Antelope Wells Obsidian Source, Southern Animas Mountains, New Mexico. Paper presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Anaheim, California.Google Scholar
Mahood, G. A., and Hildreth, W 1983 Large Partition Coefficients for Trace Elements in High-Silica Rhyolites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 47: 11–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahood, G. A., and Stimac, J. A. 1990 Trace-Element Partitioning in Pantellerites and Trachytes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 54: 2257–2276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Massey, W. C. 1966 Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Lower California. In Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol 4, edited by Wauchope, R., pp. 38–58. University of Texas Press, Austin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meighan, C. W. 1966 Prehistoric rock-paintings in Baja California. American Antiquity 31: 372–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meighan, C. W. 1969 Indian Art and History, the Testimony of Prehispanic Rock Paintings in Baja California. Dawson's Book Shop, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Meighan, C. W. 1993 PIXE Analysis of Cave Sediments, Prehispanic Paintings and Obsidian Cutting Tools from Baja California Sur Caves. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B75: 454–457.Google Scholar
Mitchell, D. M., and Shackley, M. S. 1995 Classic Period Hohokam Obsidian Studies in Southern Arizona: A Review and Prospectus. Journal of Field Archaeology 22: 219–304.Google Scholar
Newman, J. R., and Nielsen, R. L. 1985 Initial Notes on the X-ray Fluorescence Sourcing of Northern New Mexico Obsidians. Journal of Field Archaeology 12: 377–383.Google Scholar
Ritter, E. W. 1979 An Archaeological Study of South-Central Baja California, Mexico. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis.Google Scholar
Ritter, E. W. 1991a The Arroyo Portezuelo Petroglyphs of Baja California Sur. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 27(4): 1–14.Google Scholar
Ritter, E. W. 1991b Baja California rock art: Problems, progress, and prospects. In Rock Art Papers, vol. 8, edited by K. Hedges. Papers No. 27. Museum of Man, San Diego, California.Google Scholar
Ritter, E. W., and Payen, L. A. 1992 Archaeological Discoveries Along Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Baja California, Mexico. In Essays on the Prehistory of Maritime California, edited by Jones, T. L., pp. 251–266. Center for Archaeological Research at Davis Publication 10, University of California, Davis.Google Scholar
Ritter, E. W., Foster, J. W., Oriins, R. I., Payen, L. A., and Pouney, P. D. 1994 Archaeological Insights within a Marine Cornucopia: Baja California's Bahia de las Animas. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 30(1): 1–24.Google Scholar
Sanders, S. C, Zahrt, J. D., and Bell, G. 1982 Trace and Minor Element Analysis of Obsidian from the San Francisco Volcanic Field Using X-Ray Fluorescence. Advances in X-Ray Analysis 25: 121–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1988 Sources of Archaeological Obsidian in the Southwest: An Archaeological, Petrological, and Geochemical Study. American Antiquity 53: 752–772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1990 Early Hunter-Gatherer Procurement Ranges in the Southwest: Evidence from Obsidian Geochemistry and Lithic Technology. Ph.D. dissertation, Arizona State University. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1991 Tank Mountains Obsidian: A Newly Discovered Archaeological Obsidian Source in East-Central Yuma County, Arizona. Kiva 57: 17–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1992 The Upper Gila River Gravels as an Archaeological Obsidian Source Region: Implications for Models of Exchange and Interaction. Geoarchaeology 7(4): 315–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1993 Obsidian Procurement and Distribution in Prehistoric Sites in the Proyecto Arte Rupestre, Baja California Sur, Central Baja California: An Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Analysis. Report prepared for Proyecto Arte Rupestre, Sierra de San Francisco, Baja California Sur. Manuscript on file, Consejo de Arqueologia, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico, D.F.Google Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1994a Analisis de energia dispersiva en fluorescencia de rayos x (EDXRF) de artefactos de obsidiana, de sitios arquelogicos en Bahia de Los Angeles y materiales de una fuente de obsidiana en Isla Angel de la Guarda, Baja California. In Invesigaciones de Ecologia Social y Cambios entre Culturas Prehistoricas en la Region de Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja California, edited by Ritter, E., pp. 172–184. Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexicali, Baja California.Google Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1994b Intersource and Intrasource Geochemical Variability in Two Newly Discovered Archaeological Obsidian Sources in the Southern Great Basin: Bristol Mountains, California and Devil Peak, Nevada. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 16(1): 118–129.Google Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1995a Analisis de energia dispersiva de fluorescencia de rayos x (edxrf) en artefactos de obsidiana de ocho sitios arqueologicos en Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California Norte: temporada de campo 1994. In Investigaciones de Ecologia Socialy Cambios entre Culturas Prehistoricas en la Region de Bahia de los Angeles, Baja California, edited by Ritter, E. W., pp. 197–208. Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexicali, Baja California.Google Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1995b Sources of Archaeological Obsidian in the Greater American Southwest: An Update and Quantitative Analysis. American Antiquity 60: 531–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shackley, M. S. 1996 Range and Mobility in the Early Hunter-Gatherer Southwest. In Early Formative Adaptations in the Southern Southwest, edited by Roth, B., pp. 5–16. Monographs in World Archaeology 25. Prehistory Press, Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Schamber, F. H. 1977 A Modification of the Linear Least-Squares Fitting Method which Provides Continuum Suppression. In XRay Fluorescence Analysis of Environmental Samples, edited by Dzubay, T. G., pp. 241–257. Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Stevenson, C. M., and Klimkiewicz, M. 1990 X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Obsidian Sources in Arizona and New Mexico. Kiva 55: 235–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stocker, T. L., and Cobean, R. H. 1984 Preliminary Report on the Obsidian Mines at Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz. In Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production, edited by Ericson, J. E. and Purdy, B.A. pp. 83–96. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, R. M., and Brown, D. E. 1982 Sonoran Desertscrub. Desert Plants 4(1-4): 180–222.Google Scholar
Williams-Thorpe, O. 1995 Obsidian in the Mediterranean and the Near East: A Provenancing Success Story. Archaeometry 37(2): 27–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar