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Formative Lacustrine Adaptation: Botanical Remains from Terremote-Tlaltenco, D. F., México Author(s): Emily McClung de Tapia, Mari Carmen Serra Puche and Amie Ellen Limón de Dyer Source: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring, 1986), pp. 99-113Published by: Maney PublishingStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/529914Accessed: 01-09-2015 15:07 UTC

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Formative Lacustrine Adaptation: Botanical Remains from Terremote-Tlaltenco, D.F., M6xico

Emily McClung de Tapia Mari Carmen Serra Puche Amrnie Ellen Lim6n de Dyer Instituto de Investigaciones Antropol6gicas Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico Mexico, D.F., Mexico

The extensive excavation of Terremote-Tlaltenco, Distrito Federal, Mexico, in the southern Basin of Mexico, has provided significant data concerning human adaptation to lacustrine conditions during the Middle and Late For- mative periods in this region of Mesoamerica. Results of the analysis of abundantly preserved archaeobotanical remains from the site are described here in an attempt to illustrate their role in understanding prehispanic subsistence activities in the Basin.

Introduction The Late Formative period site of Terremote-Tlaltenco is situated on an

artificial island (FIGS. 1, 2) at the edge of the ancient shore of Lake Chalco, the southernmost of a series of shallow inland lakes that characterized the Basin of Mexico in prehispanic times. The prehistoric occupation of the area was initially investigated by Pedro Armillas who carried out test excavations at the site in 1970, and later by Paul Tolstoy who excavated nearby at El Terremote in 1972.1 In 1976 the extensive excavation of Terremote-Tlaltenco was undertaken by Mari Carmen Serra Puche2 under the auspices of the Institute for Anthropological Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Six mounds and three trenches were excavated during two field seasons, from 1976 to 1978, and in situ macrobotanical specimens as well as flotation samples were recovered from selected contexts throughout the excavated areas.

The following report describes the plant remains from Mounds 8, 9, and 1, and provides a preliminary summary of all botanical remains identified to date.

1. Pedro Armillas, "Gardens on Swamps," Science 174 (1971) 653-661; Paul Tolstoy et al., "Early Sedentary Communities of the Basin of Mexico," JFA 4 (1977) 91-106; C. Earle Smith, Jr. and Paul Tolstoy, "Vegetation and Man in the Basin of Mexico," Economic Botany 35 (1981) 415-433. Terremote-Tlaltenco is the site that Armillas, op. cit. (in this note) 661, designated as 14QMS972324. Tolstoy et al., op. cit. (in this note) 92, referred to it as site number 50. This same site is labeled XO-LF-2 in Jeffrey R. Parsons et al., "Prehispanic Settlement Patterns in the Southern Valley of Mexico: The Chalco-Xochimilco Region," MMichMusAnth 14 (1982) 116. Site number 51, as designated in Tolstoy et al., op. cit. (in this note) 92, is referred to by Parsons et al., op. cit. (in this note) 94, as XO-EF-2. This site is located ca. 350 m to the south of #50, and it is the site of the Early Formative occupation referred to by Tolstoy as El Terremote. 2. The surface survey, mapping, and excavation of Terremote-Tlaltenco was carried out under the direction of Mari Carmen Serra Puche during 1976-1978. Amie Ellen Lim6n de Dyer completed the separation and preliminary identification of botanical specimens from floated soil samples. The review of botanical specimens and interpretation with respect to sample proveniences was carried out by Emily McClung de Tapia.



100 Formative Lacustrine Adaptation, Mexico/Tapia, Puche, and Dyer

WW I v ow

4

(a)

(b) Torf emote -Tlaftonco

MMOUD

MOUND 10MUND I 9 (c)ON

MOUND 15

10 0 20

Figure 1. Location of Terremote-Tlaltenco. A. Mesoamerica; B. The Basin of Mexico; C. Terremote-Tlaltenco.

The botanical materials thus far identified provide significant enlightenment as to the subsistence base of the settlement as well as information regarding the kinds of exploitative and productive activities carried out by the inhabitants of the Late Formative community.

Tolstoy's test excavations at El Terremote and elsewhere in the Basin of

Mexico, however small in scale, are significant for our purposes here because an effort was made to recover stratigraphic samples of botanical material. The

analysis of these specimens, carried out by Dr. C. Earle Smith, Jr., provided direct botanical data relative to Formative environmental conditions in the



Journal of Field Archaeology/Vol. 13, 1986 101

S_____ -.~- -- A Archaeological site

- Lill

- Sierra

Modern Chinampas

SAN FRANCISCO- TLAPACOYA

STLALTENCO L Lakeshore Alluvium

-TERREMOTE -- TLALTENC -Lake System

W Lower Piedmont

.UUppaer Piedmont

A x** * *2 - -Upland Alluvium

x x x x x x x x Ox x ~-~u ~ ?x x x"= x X X X x xx x x x x x N x x x x'. ~ x X-:?x 14UpperPiedmon x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x X, x x V\1 C x x - - - x xx x xx xx x x xX- x -- - -- x x X x x X x x x x : x x X x- -- x xx X x x X X X X X x x x x x x x xx x x x x x X X X - -- -- - - - x x x x x x x c "I/- x x Upand Allviu -- x X x xx W - x x x X x - -- --

Figure 2. Environmental zones characteristic of the southern Basin of Mexico. North is at top.

Basin of Mexico and, in particular, to the patterns of exploitation of plant resources by local human populations.

Terremote-Tlaltenco represents a rural (but by no means marginal) settlement, covering an area of ca. 6-7 ha, situated in a marshy zone at the former edge of Lake Chalco. The mounds which are visible today on the dry surface were submerged during long periods, following a series of changes in the lake level, prior to the 16th century (when large-scale drainage of parts of the lake system was initiated by the Spaniards). The recognizable Formative occupation is distributed across 15 mounds, which were created and/or reinforced by a characteristic technique of alternating layers of lacustrine vegetation (bullrushes and sedges) and mud, with wood-and-stone retaining structures. Mounds vary from ca. 60 cm to 2 m in height, and the site itself is situated at an elevation of 2,242 m above sea level.

Chronology of Terremote-Tlaltenco While Tolstoy placed the occupation of nearby El Terremote within the Early Formative (Ayotla and Early Manantial phases, 1400-1200 B.C., Early Hori- zon),3 the recent excavations at Terremote-Tlaltenco indicate a later settlement

3. Although the authors use traditional period terminology, alternative Basin of Mexico periods and phases are provided in Table 1. Division of the Formative period into First Intermediate I- V is based on William T. Sanders, Jeffrey R. Parsons, and Robert S. Santley, The Basin of Mexico: Ecological Processes in the Evolution of a Civilization (Academic Press: New York 1979) 93. Phases for the site of Zohapilco are based on Christine Niederberger, Zohapilco: Cinco Milenios de Ocupaci6n Humana en un Sitio Lacustre de la Cuenca de Mexico (INAH: Mexico 1976) 10. For the Valley of Mexico, phases are based on a synthesis of various authors, among them: Niederberger, ibid. 10-11; George C. Vaillant, "Excavations at Zacatenco," AnthPap- AmMusNHist 32 (1930) 1-197; idem, "Excavations at Ticoman," AnthPapAmMusNHist 32 (1931) 199-451; Paul Tolstoy and Louise Paradis, "Early and Middle Preclassic Culture in the Basin of Mexico", Science 167 (1970) 344-351; Sanders, Parsons, and Santley, 1979 op. cit. (in this



102 Formative Lacustrine Adaptation, Mixico/Tapia, Puche, and Dyer

Table 1. Formative period chronology of the Basin of Mexico. PERIODS BASIN OF MEXICO

(PARSONS etal 1982) ZOHAPILCO VALLEY of MEXICO TERREMOTE- TEOTIHUACAN (PARSGN97)(ASN1t82)1 TLALTENCO CSANDERS,PARSONS + 300AD(NIEDERBERGER 1976) (PARSONS etl1982)(SERRAPUCHEI9801982)

',,SI979.MILm.OI

g 31

A 150 - EARLYCLASSIC F.I.M MICCAOTLI MICCAOTLI

0 TTZACUALLI 0

F. I. T

. TZACUALLI

i00 BC TERMINAL 100 BC FORMATIVE

FPATLACHIQUE200 200 FT fI1 TICOMAN 200

PATLACHIQUE TEZOYUCA

300 300

400 LATE F.111400 FORMATIVE

F" - "N o

TICOMAN 500 -CUANALAN 500

600 600 ZACATENCO-6

700FIRST CUAUTEPEC-700 7OO 700 MIDDLE INTER- LA PASTORA

800 FORMATIVE MEDIATE CHICONAUTLA800

900 MANANTIAL ,900 EL ARBOLILLO

ALTICA I000 1000 1150 BOMBA

EARLY MANANTIAL

HORIZON1300 BC

incorporating both Late Manantial (1000-800 B.C.) and Zacatenco phase (800- 400 B.C.) occupation. The greatest settlement density occurs during the Ticoman phase (400-200 B.C.) of the Late Formative period, or First Intermediate phases 2B, 3A, and part of 3B (see TABLE 1).

Evidence for site expansion corresponds to the Late Formative occupation, and the majority of the ceramic data pertains to this period as well. The chronology of the site is based on the presence of diagnostic Formative ceramic types determined from typologies formulated by Vaillant,4 McBride, Barba de Pifia Chan,6 and Niederberger.7

Diagnostic ceramic groups include rose granular, white, and gray wares. Ollas (jars) and bowls are dominant among the domestic wares. The group referred to by Vaillant8 as Ticoman Bay Ware is quite common. The most common vessel forms include a heavy concentration of ollas with flaring rims and compound silhouette bowls.

The settlement of Terremote-Tlaltenco was apparently abandoned during the later half of the Ticoman phase (during the Patlachique-Tezoyuca phase in the

note) 93. Middle Formative chronology for Terremote-Tialtenco is based on Tolstoy et al., loc. cit. (in note 1). Formative period phases for Teotihuacan are synthesized from Rene Millon, Bruce Drewitt, and George L. Cowgill, Urbanization at Teotihuacan: the Teotihuacan Map Part I, (University of Texas Press: Austin 1973) 79.

4. Vaillant, 1930 op. cit. (in note 3) 80-97; idem, 1931 op. cit. (in note 3) 269-292.

5. Harold W. McBride, "Formative Ceramics and Prehistoric Settlement Patterns in the Cuauh- titlan Region, Mexico," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation (UCLA 1974).

6. Beatriz Barba de Pifia Chan, "Tlapacoya: Un Sitio Prechisico de Transici6n," Acta Antropol- 6gica, Epoca 2 1 (1956) 59-94.

7. Niederberger, 1976 op. cit. (in note 3) 109-208.

8. Vaillant, 1931 op. cit. (in note 3) 270-275.




Valley of Mexico terminology), since the latest ceramics (principally olla rims) correspond to this point in time.9

Environmental Settings in the Basin of Mexico The modem vegetation of the Basin of Mexico and its possible antecedents,

as partially reconstructed from the results of pollen analyses and corroborating climatological and faunal evidence, have been described elsewhere in some detail.o10

In general, the entire Basin has undergone profound ecological modification, undoubtedly reaching back to Formative times. More than a thousand years of intensive agriculture in almost all suitable parts of the region, in addition to the consequences of large-scale drainage and grazing following the Spanish Conquest, have greatly altered natural conditions to a point beyond reconstruction in most areas. While modem vegetation below the 2,700-m contour reflects the most substantial degree of modification, it is also important to note that higher slopes have been heavily exploited for forest products, and reforestation projects in recently protected areas have fostered the replacement of many naturally occurring species by imported pines, which develop more rapidly.

A description of the southern Basin of Mexico in terms of several distinct environmental zones, each characterized by different plant communities, provides a more meaningful, albeit general, context within which to place the site of Terremote-Tlaltenco (FIG. 2). The following zones were proposed first by Parsons1" and later by Sanders, Parsons, and Santley.12

The Lake System consists of a series of five shallow lakes, ranging 1-3 m in depth, and forming either a single or several bodies of water, depending upon seasonal conditions. This system characterized the Basin floor at the time of the Spanish Conquest. The saline central portion (Lake Mexico-Texcoco), located at the lowest elevation, was the ultimate destination for all drainage of other water sources, including the less saline Lakes Xaltocan and Zumpango to the north and the freshwater southern component of Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco. The lakes and their adjacent marshes provided significant resources such as aquatic fauna, flora, and migratory waterfowl, in addition to their role as a communications network. Centuries of intentional drainage have eliminated most of the lake areas, and those that remain (e.g., Lake Texcoco and the chinampas in the modem urban zones of Xochimilco, Tlahuac, and Chalco) are ecological disaster areas owing to poor drainage, high salt concentrations (Texcoco), and/or contamination from urban wastes (Xochimilco- Chalco). 9. Serra Puche, 1982 op. cit. (in note 3) 16-18, Cuadro 2.

10. Jerzy Rzedowski, "Vegetaci6n del Pedregal de San Angel (Distrito Federal, Mexico)," Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biol6gicas, IPN 8 (1954) 59-129; J. Rzedowski et al., "Cartograffa de los Principales Tipos de Vegetaci6n de la Mitad Septentrional del Valle de Mexico," Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biol6gicas, IPN 13 (1964) 31-67; Marina Villegas D., "Estudio Floristico y Ecol6gico de las Plantas Arvenses de la Parte Meridional de la Cuenca de Mexico," Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biol6gicas, IPN 18 (1970) 17-89; Anton Kovar, "The Physical and Biological Environment of the Basin of Mexico," The Teotihuacan Valley Project: Final Report I. Occasional Papers in Anthropology 3. (Pennsylvania State University: University Park 1970) 13-67; Niederberger, 1976 loc. cit. (in note 3); idem, "Early Sedentary Economy in the Basin of Mexico," Science 203 (1979) 131-142; Mari Carmen Serra Puche, "Ecologia y Economfa Lacustres en el Sur de la Cuenca de Mexico," Ciencia 31 (1980) 7-16; Tolstoy et al., loc. cit. (in note 1). 11. Jeffrey R. Parsons, "The Development of a Prehistoric Complex Society: a Regional Per- spective from the Valley of Mexico," JFA 1 (1974) 81-108.

12. Sanders et al., 1979 op. cit. (in note 3) 84-89.




The Saline Lakeshore consists of a band of saline soil adjacent to the shores of Lake Texcoco, Lake Xaltocan, and Lake Zumpango. This shoreline was exploited in antiquity as an important source of salt.

The Deep Soil Alluvium consists of relatively wide strips of fertile land along the eastern edge of Lake Texcoco and Lake Chalco between Teotihuacan and Chalco, in addition to the NW corner of Lake Texcoco and the sw side of Lake Zumpango.

The Lower Piedmont refers to a strip of gentle slopes of varying elevation below the 2,350-m contour, characterized in antiquity by sufficiently deep and humid soils for maize-based agriculture. Natural vegetation in this area was probably dominated by oak forest prior to deforestation.13

The Middle Piedmont occurs between 2,350-2,500 m and is currently dominated by a dense oak, broadleaf forest in the few areas where traces of natural vegetation still occur.14

The Upper Piedmont refers to the zone 2,500-2,700 m in elevation, characterized by shallow soils, a high degree of soil erosion, and a high risk of frosts. Before deforestation occurred, the area may have been covered by a mixed broadleaf-conifer forest of oak, pine, cypress, alder, etc.15

The Sierra extends from 2,700 m to as high as 5,800 m in the SE and has been exploited predominantly as a source of forest products: mainly wood for construction, fuel, and charcoal production.16

Excavations at Terremote-Tlaltenco: 1976-1978

Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest human occupation of the Basin of Mexico was concentrated in the southern zone, close to the shores of Lakes Chalco and Xochimilco. Demographic growth, however, gradually led to the expansion of agricultural populations into the surrounding piedmont areas. As the number of settlements and the degree of nucleation intensified, so did the process of increasing hierarchical sociopolitical organization. By the Late Terminal Formative period (ca. 650 B.C.-150 A.C.; First Intermediate phases 2, 3, and 4) there is a clearly established pattern of hierarchical settlements, dominated by supraregional centers that apparently controlled relatively large regional centers (nucleated settlements covering over 100 ha with substantial civic architecture) and their surrounding villages.17 The focus of settlement in the Basin of Mexico changes then, from the lakeshore plain to the

piedmont zone. The site of Terremote-Tlaltenco apparently developed into a "regional center," possibly dependent upon Tlapacoya and Cuicuilco in some measure, but presumably significant in its own right on the basis of its strategic access to lacustrine resources as well as to the fertile alluvial soils on the lakeshore plain. An additional, as yet unexcavated, site located on the mainland to the north of Terremote-Tlaltenco (San Francisco Tlaltenco, FIG. 2) may have provided agricultural products for the community.

Fluctuations in lake level, principally resulting from intense seasonal rains and consequent flooding, were undoubtedly a serious problem for the occupants of the site. The formation of a series of artificial mounds in the marsh zone

13. Ibid. 87.

14. Ibid. 88.

15. Ibid.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid. 55.




rather than further inland, however, suggests that the importance of abundant lacustrine resources far outweighed the risks to a settlement in such environmental circumstances.

The mounds of Terremote-Tlaltenco are primarily residential and contain one or two houses, with the exception of Mound 1, which is characterized by a substantially different type of architecture.

The house mounds are built on foundations constructed of alternating layers of mud and vegetation, held in place by a frame of wood and stone. Mud floors are outlined in places by double rows of stones, which probably served as bases for walls of wattle and daub. The abundance of fragmentary remains of petates (woven reed mats) embedded in mud floors suggests their use as floor coverings (and possibly on walls as well).

During the course of excavating the habitation units, the discovery of discrete concentrations of different types of artifacts (needles, baskets, metates, plant remains, etc.) permitted the designation of specific activity areas.18

Botanical Remains from Terremote-Tlaltenco Because of the availability of archaeological data of considerable significance

for the interpretation of possible subsistence activities from Mounds 8, 9, and 1, the plant remains from these three units will be considered individually (TABLES 2, 3, 4). In order to provide an idea of the range of plant genera, however, and the kinds of vegetal materials that have been preserved at the site of Terremote-Tlaltenco, the results of the preliminary analysis of archaeobotanical remains are summarized in Table 5.

Mound 8

The distribution of specific artifacts and organic remains in relation to features such as hearths and house walls was analyzed by means of cluster analysis in order to develop a method for determining specific activity areas.19 Identifiable carbonized plant remains from the occupation floors of this mound are not abundant, however, although the following genera and families are represented (TABLE 2):

Zea mays (kernels, cupules) - maize Gramineae (caryopses) - Grass family Chenopodium sp. (seeds) - probably C. nuttalliae, huauhtzontli Amaranthus sp. (seeds) Mollugo sp. (seeds) Prunus capuli (seed coat fragments) - Mexican cherry, capulin Phaseolus vulgaris (cotyledons) - beans, frijol Cactaceae (seeds) - Cactus family wood charcoal calcified fibers

The association of maize, beans, amaranth, chenopodium, and cacti with apparent hearth areas suggests that these plants may comprise part of the

18. Mari Carmen Serra Puche, "La Unidad Habitacional en Terremote-Tialtenco, D.F.: Un Anilisis de Distribuci6n Espacial para Definir Areas de Actividad (Primera Parte)," Anales de Antropologia 17 (1980) 167-185.

19. Ibid.




Table 2. Botanical remains recovered from Mound 8, by genus and excavation unit. in in in n

_ 0 0 0 0 01 o 0 j

Zea mays (kernels) 7 + 5+ If It..t (cobs)

" " (cupules) I 27

Fiam. Gromineoe 4

Scirpus sp 3 2 Chenopodium sp I 5

Amaranthus sp 5 9 Mollugo sp Prunus capull I f Phassolus vulgaris 2 9 2f

Phasesolus sp. Fam. Coctaceae 2 4 Unidentified seeds 2 + 1 + 86 I f Unidentified wood (carbonized) X X X X FIBERS Unidentified fibers (calcified) X X X TUBERS Unidentified tuber I

f= Fragments, +=Additional fragments , X= Presence .

Table 3. Botanical remains recovered from Mound 9, by genus and excavation unit.

GENUS I I 1& -3 -3 -3 Is -3 -3 -3 -3 I Is - - 2 x

Zee mays (kernels) I + 20 f 44+ 48 + 19 f 73 5 9f 372 60 '228 288 108 838 10 + _ 6 (cobs) 1 f I + (cpulpes) .11 i 0

o 0 4 .. 4 _ 4

" (stem) I 4 7 5 3 2 Forn Graomineoe (coryopes,) 12 I M * (stelm)

Scirpus sp 2 -I7 2 3 Cyper up I 23

Chenopo.dum op.3. Amornthus Sp 10 468 6t 1 I 8o0 2 7 Chno - Amrs 7 I 4

Portuloce ,sp Prants copu# If If

aseous rvulfpr /s 233 1 + 28 2 4 + If I 3 4 f I f I 6 Phoaseots coccinus +

Phaseo/us op. If 2 I f Opunt/lao p If Foan. Coctacea I 3 3 4 cuFrblo pepo (peatncl) Cucur'to sp. I f "Oblong seed" 2 4 1 0 30 200 7 II 53 Unidentified seeds I 2 13 6 i I f

Unidentified embryo I

Unidentifled wood (carborized) X X X X X X X X X X X X FIBERS Unidentified (calcified) X X Ropes (carbonized) X X X PVropites oustroNa (calcfied) X

vFlresquency colculated based on weight of 10 grems. f aFregments . +.Adltione! fragments . X Presence . ,**aKemels with sevpules




subsistence base, although their frequencies in this mound are relatively low.20 It should be noted, in any case, that while maize and beans represent domes- ticated agricultural products, cacti, amaranth, and chenopodium may well be wild, gathered genera.

The carbonized seeds of Amaranthus recovered from the site have an average diameter of 1.0 mm, which falls within the averages for modern wild species in North and Middle America.21 Similarly, the archaeological specimens of Chenopodium have an average diameter of 1.5 mm, again, within the range of modern wild species. With respect to seed size, it will be necessary to investigate the range of variation in wild Central Mexican species of these genera. It is also unclear at present what the effects of a high water table and fertile alluvial soils may be on the growth conditions of wild "weedy" genera such as Amaranthus and Chenopodium. Consequently, the validity of a factor such as relative seed size is not without its problems. On the other hand, these particular genera do not apparently undergo significant morphological change as a result of cultivation, and seed size together with high frequency may be the only potential hallmark of their intentional propagation. In summary, this particular association of apparently uncultivated plants, together with maize and beans, does call attention to the potential importance of gathered plant resources, in spite of the low specimen counts characteristic of Mound 8.

Mound 9

Mound 9, situated on the western rim of the island (FIG. Ic), is difficult to interpret in terms of the distribution of houses and activity areas. Several hearths were found accompanied by ollas full of plant remains, but it was not possible to determine the limits of any particular structures since no associated walls could be located.

The following plant materials have been identified from flotation samples and in situ contexts from Mound 9 (TABLE 3):

Zea mays (kernels, cupules, cob fragments, stem fragments) - maize Gramineae (caryopses) - Grass family Scirpus sp. (seeds) - bullrush, tule Cyperus sp. (seeds) - sedge, tule Chenopodium sp. (seeds) - huauhtzontli Amaranthus sp. (seeds) Portulaca sp. (seeds) - purslane, verdolaga Prunus capuli (seeds) - Mexican cherry, capulin Phaseolus vulgaris (cotyledons) - bean, frijol P. coccineus (cotyledons) - runner bean, ayocote? Cactaceae (seeds) - Cactus family "oblong seed" unidentified carbonized seeds unidentified calcified fibers carbonized rope fragments Phragmites australis - calcified and carbonized fibers

Frequencies for Phaseolus vulgaris are based on the number of cotyledons present in a 10g sample. The abundance of P. vulgaris tends to distort the 20. The recovery of soil samples from Mound 8 was particularly difficult because of the extreme hardness of the living surfaces that were excavated.

21. Alexander C. Martin and William D. Barkley, Seed Identification Manual (University of California Press: Berkeley 1961) 151, 153; Marina Villegas y de Gante, Malezas de la Cuenca de Mexico (M6xico, D.F., 1979) 30-38.




frequencies of other plant genera, a result of the chance find of such large concentrations of beans in the vessels associated with hearths.

Mound 1

Mound 1 is located in the NE sector of the site of Terremote-Tlaltenco (FIG. ic), and is important because of the immense quantities of carbonized and uncarbonized plant remains recovered during excavation and from flotation samples. Table 4 summarizes the botanical material according to stratigraphic layer within each excavation unit of the mound. Several instances of extremely high frequencies of maize, beans, and amaranth are outstanding. The majority of these elevated frequencies represent the contents of baskets and, in one case, an earthenware pot, all characterized by exceptional preservation conditions. These isolated cases of high-volume samples tend to bias the frequency counts for plant genera from other contexts in the mound as well as from other parts of the site.

The island upon which the site is located resembles a half-moon, thus creating a semi-circumscribed area to the south where the water level is thought to have been lower. The northern face of all of the mounds is somewhat steeper and may in fact represent the location of a docking area. This hypothesis is supported by evidence from the excavation of Mound 1, where a series of wooden posts, rooted in the lakebed and held in place by ropes, was uncovered (FIG. 3). In addition, the large deposits of carbonized plant remains (particularly maize and beans), ceramic vessels, and baskets recovered from this area suggest its possible function as a dock for canoes used in transporting products back and forth from the mainland.

The largest structure excavated at the site is situated on Mound 1, and appears to represent two different stages of occupation. The earlier stage is indicated by a stone platform, 8 m X 6 m, which apparently provided the base for a roofed structure, the presence of which is suggested by six wooden posts found in situ. The platform was covered with layers of sand, suggesting that this part of the island had been inundated at some point, followed by reconstruction of the platform (presumably to repair and enlarge it), raising it above the water level. This modification marks the second stage of occupation of the mound (FIG. 3).

The principal plant genera (FIGS. 4-9) recovered from Mound 1 as a unit include the following:

Zea mays (kernels, cob fragments, cupules, stem fragments) - maize Gramineae (caryopses) - Grass family Chenopodium sp. (seeds) - huauhtzontli Amaranthus sp. (seeds) Persea americana (seed fragments) - avocado Mollugo sp. (seeds) Portulaca sp. (seeds) - purslane, verdolaga Prunus capuli (seeds) - Mexican cherry, capulin Phaseolus vulgaris (cotyledons) - bean, frijol P. coccineus (cotyledons) - runner bean, ayocote? Cactaceae (seeds) - Cactus family Solanaceae (seeds) - (not Capsicum sp.) Cucurbita pepo (uncarbonized seeds, peduncles) - squash wood charcoal carbonized and calcified fibers (Gramineae, Amaryllidaceae, Cyperaceae) "oblong seed"




Table 4. Botanical remains recovered from Mound 1, by genus and excavation unit. 1 [

YI[....' -; [ " w1 N I GENUS -

-.I ' !.!,,i',"o .

1p I Pinus Sp (bark) x Zeo mos (kernels) 38 13 I + 7931 8 601 141 04 20 441 I 3 f 9 f 38

S(cobs) 3 f 3 I f f I If i cupuis) 29 f " " (stem 4 f

Fam. Gramineae (corypsi) 31 3 2+ 3 S " (stem) I Agve sp (spine) 5 Scirpus p 7 1+ 23 3 6 2 I I 4 I

Chnowpo~wn so 23 5 2 31'

,moronr .

70 X 6 5 16 10 Cheno- Ams I Mollugo sp 4 2+ Prtfotco esp

. 2 7

Famn. Carophyllacea Perseo americeane I f I f Prunwe cpuit + 6 + 1 2 i 4 + 1 + 9 nPhseolus vulgor/s

29.+ 5029 I 21 2

Ph. occinus if 4 2f Phoaolus gp. 6 If 2 2 Fam. Leguminoeas 6 Oxoi@ sp Famn. Coctaceas d 9 S + 2 3 3 I Physlis sv..2 Solanun u sp Fam. Solonoceas 2 Cucurbito pop (seeds) I f 3 I + 4 +

" " (pedutcle) I 16 Cucurbite If tIf 3 + I + O"Fom seed 61 2

..18" 7 39 221 Unidentified seeds 3+ 2 3 7 + 2 f I + 13 5 + 4+ 1 2 f Unidentified wood (corbonized) X X X X X X X X X X UniSpntified wood (uncorbonized) x FIBERSII-

-

rames oustrols X X X X Fao. Graminas (carbonized) X X X X X 0

" (uncorbonized) X X X X X X

Unidentified (calcified) X x x X x Unidentified (corbonized) X X X X X X Stems (unidentified) X

_Agave sp. x x Ficus sp

' ark)

*Frequency based on weight of 10 grem.s f IFregneats, +*Aditi lI fromnts. Xm PPresence

basket

roe 38Aropes

83 8A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 16 2l I16I I i si'

Figure 3. Partial profile of Mound 1, showing possible embarcadero (docking area).




Figure 4. Peduncles of Cucurbita pepo (Mound 1, Square B4, Layer XII).

Figure 5. Carbonized seeds of Cucurbita pepo (Mound 1, Square B4, Layer XI).

Figure 6. Carbonized Agave points (Mound 1, Square A4-B4, Layer IX).

Figure 7. Carbonized kernels of Zea mays (Mound 1, Square B4, Layer X).

It will be noted in Table 4 that several of the high frequencies for maize, amaranth, and beans are based on the weight of a proportion (10 g) of the total sample from a particular excavation unit. We emphasize that these excessively high frequencies should not be considered out of context, because of the excellent preservation conditions that permitted their survival and because of the nature of their provenience (i.e., vessel or basket contents). By no means should they be misconstrued as definite evidence for a proportional dependence upon these agricultural products.

As was the case with the specimens from Mounds 8 and 9, the average diameter of seeds of Amaranthus and Chenopodium in the samples from Mound 1 is well within the range of modem wild species. The same is apparently true as well for the carbonized archaeological specimens of Portulaca, which vary in diameter between 0.5-1.0 mm, exhibiting the same range as modem wild seeds of that genus. We note here that there is no indication at present of a possible relationship between Amaranthus and Chenopodium such as has been tentatively suggested during the Classic period at urban Teotihuacan in the northern Basin of Mexico, either in terms of specimen frequencies or simul- taneous occurrence in sample units.22 Amaranthus is clearly more abundant than Chenopodium at Terremote-Tlaltenco, even when the exceptionally high frequencies of Amaranthus previously mentioned are de-emphasized.

The Interpretation of Botanical Remains from Terremote-Tlaltenco Detailed analysis of the maize (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus spp.)

recovered during Serra Puche's excavations has not yet been undertaken. We can say at present, however, that our observations are in accordance with those of Smith and Tolstoy,23 insofar as the majority of the maize kernels examined to date appears to be nearly isodiametric (of equal dimensions), suggesting their possible inclusion in the Nal-Tel/Chapalote complex. We have assigned the majority of the bean specimens (FIG. 10) to Phaseolus vulgaris, in addition to a limited number of specimens which have been tentatively identified as P. coccineus (runner bean).24

On the basis of the botanical material identified to date from the site of Terremote-Tlaltenco (TABLE 5), we argue that the traditional maize/beans/squash dietary complement was undoubtedly in existence during the Formative period, providing a significant source of nutrients for Basin populations. It is also quite evident, however, that agriculture was not the only important subsistence activity for at least some of the lake-associated communities during this period. The present archaeological evidence suggests that the population of Terremote- Tlaltenco heavily exploited three potential sources of subsistence materials: lacustrine, agricultural, and terrestrial resources.

The problems that remain, insofar as the interpretation of Formative subsistence activities is concerned, are fundamentally methodological in nature. A large number of unidentified seeds remains to be reanalyzed, especially the

22. Emily S. McClung de Tapia, "Plants and Subsistence in the Teotihuacan Valley. A.D. 100- 750," unpublished Ph.D. dissertation (Brandeis 1979). 23. Smith and Tolstoy, op. cit. (in note 1) 428. 24. Smith and Tolstoy mention the presence of P. lunatus (sieva bean), and it is possible that some of our specimens designated as P. coccineus (runner bean) will be reclassified when the review of data is completed.




Table 5. Botanical remains recovered from Terremote-Tlaltenco, by genus and mound (or pit).

GEM/S tMOUND IMbON 5MOUND 6fMOUND 8 MOUNDw9 MOM 10 MOU10 15 PIT 4 PIT 5

Pinus ( bark) 1s X

Typho sp. O f Zeo mays m(nbryo) I N * (kernels) *0959 18 _30 46 179

? , (cobs) lt f 6f If

N * .

(cPis) 29f 28 52 If

S (stem) 5 f 22 f 7f I+ Famr. Grominso (caryopsis) 8 .

13 * * (stem)

Sclrpus sp. 56 16 6 27 12 4 Cyperus WA 24

Agpve Sp (pine) 5

Chenopodi, SP 2235 6 4 2 Amronfthus

. 41,820 4 14 136 21 15

Cheno- Ams 2 12 2

Mollup A. 7 1 1 3 Portuloco ap. It1 Fan. Corophylloceae . Perseo americono 2 f

Prunus cpildi 46 i 2f I PhOseors vulgorls * 5137 0 289 .56. 8 Phesl coccia"1 6 2 12

S_ _ _ 2 6 3 Fomr .Laguminooe Oxolls ~*p I Opunfio spp If Fan. Coctoceoe 26 6 15 Capsicsn $. Physolis * 2

Soloanm SpI Fam. Soonceae 2 2 Cuoarbito pepo (seed) It

S *a (pedwnc.) 17+

Cuabito sp, 7 If Logenorn sicarrio (reid) I f 1obkng seed * 349 377 6 wunideifid see&d 44, I 94 26 I 8 other undentified remains I umidentified wood (corbonized) X X X X x X X FIBERS

Ficus (bork) X

PIuvpniwAts arisrli.s ........ - X X

Fam. Gromineoe

(unc.rba.ipd)

X X X S (coroba*ed) X X

unidetified (colciied) X X X X X X

ropes X unidentified

(uncorbontrzd) X X

.......

stem (utIdentlfed) x.. X

TUBERS X X

*Frecuency bond on weight of 10 grams; X* Presemse fS Frenmnts, --Mdttiese fragments.




0 2

Figure 8. Seeds of Prunus capuli (Mound 1, Square B3, Layer VIII).

. . . . . . . . . . . ..... 4ALA C S

Figure 9. Unidentified calcified fibers, rope, and reed fragments (Mound 1, Square A3, Layer II).

unknown "oblong seed" which occurs in high frequencies throughout the excavation units studied,25 the detailed analysis of maize and bean specimens is pending, and we have yet to develop complete comparative collections for the identification of wood charcoal and fibers. The major difficulty, however, lies in the search for a suitable model for the reconstruction of Formative subsistence activities, and especially for the means by which to evaluate the significance of the components of the subsistence base vis d vis one another. One approach is through comparison of botanical data from other archaeological sites dating to the same time period. But archaeobotanical remains have been recovered from few sites corresponding to the period in question. Ironically, data from a Middle-Late Formative period settlement in the northern Basin of Mexico, Loma Terremote,26 are available, but are virtually useless for our purposes since the archaeological context from which the specimens were recovered (bell-shaped storage pits) is not represented at Terremote-Tlaltenco. In addition, the data are reported in terms of presence-absence, thus effectively eliminating anything other than a superficial comparison.

We find that the components of the Formative subsistence base in the Basin of Mexico are completely consistent with what is reported for the Classic27 and Postclassic28 periods, and with what is known both ethnohistorically and eth- nographically. The fact, however, that there are indications of a broad range of variability in the subsistence system of sites occupying different ecological contexts during the same chronological period does suggest that a more firm basis is necessary in order to generalize about the evolution and development of prehistoric subsistence economies.

Conclusion Based on the architectural characteristics of the habitation units and the

"ceremonial-civic" platform (Mound 1), Terremote-Tlaltenco may be classified as a specialized village strategically situated on the lake with maximal access to numerous lacustrine resources. The association of large quantities of organic materials (such as wild and cultivated plant remains, bones of migratory waterfowl, fish, and turtles) with abundant organic artifactual remains (such as baskets, ropes, and woven mats), as well as processing tools (fiber scrapers), suggests a highly specialized community involved in the manufacture and distribution of finished products based on lacustrine resources within the southern Basin of Mexico.

Additional archaeological data reinforce the suggestion that the main subsistence activity of the Late Formative occupants of the site centered on the exploitation of lacustrine resources, principally fish and other aquatic fauna, and the collection of aquatic fiber plants for the manufacture of baskets, mats, and rope. The well-preserved archaeological remains of these objects, partic-

25. The "oblong seed" may in fact be Salvia sp. (chia). We do not have sufficient comparative material at present to confirm the identification. 26. Rosa Maria Reyna Robles and Lauro Gonzailez Quintero, "Resultados del Anilisis Botinico de Formaciones Troncoc6nicas en Loma Torremote, Cuauhtitlan, Estado de Mdxico," Arqueo- botdnica: Mgtodos y Aplicaciones (INAH: Mexico, D.F. 1978) 33-42. 27. McClung de Tapia, loc. cit. (in note 22); idem, "Interpretaci6n de Restos Botinicos Proce- dentes de Sitios Arqueol6gicos," Anales de Antropologia 17 (1980) 149-165. 28. Jeffrey R. Parsons, Elizabeth M. Brumfiel, Mary H. Parsons, Virginia Popper, and Mary Taft, "Late Prehispanic Chinampa Agriculture on Lake Chalco-Xochimilco: Preliminary Report," Research Report Submitted to the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico, D.F., and the National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1982.




ularly in association with defined domestic and craft activity areas,29 together with the apparent absence of agricultural tools, provides a broader picture of economic activity in the Basin of Mexico during the Formative-Classic tran- sition. It is frequently assumed that agriculture provided the fundamental subsistence activity for the majority of the Late/Terminal Formative period communities in the Basin. Terremote-Tlaltenco, however, appears to represent an example of a specialized occupation in a clearly defined ecological context. Furthermore, archaeological evidence from Terremote-Tlaltenco supports the as yet untested assumption that Formative period sites in the Basin were situated in areas with access to specific resources, contributing to the development of the intense symbiotic relationships that are believed to characterize socioeco- nomic relations during the subsequent Classic and later Postclassic periods.

We are suggesting that Terremote-Tlaltenco may not be an essentially agri- culturally-based settlement, although there are significant quantities of agricultural plant remains among the botanical specimens recovered. In their recent summary of the archaeological plant remains from Tolstoy's earlier excavation at El Terremote, Smith and Tolstoy30 call attention to the apparent significance of wild plant material: wild grass foliage and stems (Gramineae); foliage, stems, and rhizomes of sedges (Cyperaceae); and Opuntia seeds (Cactaceae). Remains of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were sparse, and carbonized maize kernels and cob fragments comprised the bulk of the small sample that was recovered. The extensive excavation of Terremote-Tlaltenco, however, has yielded large quantities of cultivated plant remains which tend to balance the picture somewhat. Thus, we are able to report a much broader range of plant resources than was previously known from the site. Identification of these resources permits the formulation of more concrete hypotheses with respect to the nature of the Formative lacustrine subsistence economy and, more impor- tantly, the relationship between exploitative and productive subsistence activities in a lacustrine environment.

Initially then, several hypothetical approaches to Terremote-Tlaltenco subsistence activities may be considered: the possibility of a "typical" agricultural community with access to abundant lacustrine resources as well; the possibility of a settlement principally dependent upon the exploitation of lacustrine resources with agricultural production as a secondary activity; and, finally, the possibility we favor at present, of heavy concentration on the gathering of wild plant resources (for food and raw materials), supplemented by agricultural products (probably obtained from mainland communities) as the basis of an economy dominated by the exploitation and finishing of lacustrine products.

I 6@* 0 m

Figure 10. Carbonized cotyledons of Phaseolus spp. (Mound 10, Square C4, Layer II).

29. Serra Puche, op. cit. (in note 18) 174-176. 30. Smith and Tolstoy, op. cit. (in note 1) 426-429.

Emily McClung de Tapia is a Research Associate, in charge of the Paleoethnobotany Laboratory at the Institute for Anthropological Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Delegaci6n Coyoacan 04510. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Brandeis University in 1979.

Mari Carmen Serra Puche is currently a Research Associate in Archaeology at the Institute for Anthropological Research and is completing her doctoral dissertation based on research at Terremote-Tlaltenco.

Amie Ellen Lim6n de Dyer received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1981 and her M.A. in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 1983, specializing in palynology.



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