Casas Grandes: A Fallen Trading Center of the Gran Chichimeca, Volume 1, Preceramic - Viejo Periods
Creators: name: Di Peso, Charles C.
Publisher: name: Northland Press
Year: 1974
Subjects: subject: Hohokam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/21/hohokam
subject: Casas Grandes
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/279/casas-grandes
subject: Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/301/funerary-and-burial-structures-or-features
subject: Burial Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/307/burial-pit
subject: Archaeological Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/339/archaeological-feature
subject: Artifact Scatter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/340/artifact-scatter
subject: Hearth
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/343/hearth
subject: Commercial or Industrial Structures
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/280/commercial-or-industrial-structures
subject: Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/251/domestic-structure-or-architectural-complex
subject: Midden
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/347/midden
subject: Settlements
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/252/settlements
subject: Town / City
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/255/town-city
subject: Domestic Structures
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/256/domestic-structures
subject: House
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/259/house
subject: Post Hole / Post Mold
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/359/post-hole-post-mold
subject: Rock Alignment
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/360/rock-alignment
subject: Rock Shelter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/265/rock-shelter
subject: Platform Mound
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/268/platform-mound
subject: Ceramic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/1/ceramic
subject: Chipped Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/2/chipped-stone
subject: Ground Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/7/ground-stone
subject: Ethnographic Research
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/14/ethnographic-research
subject: Architectural Documentation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/16/architectural-documentation
subject: Archaeological Overview
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/1/archaeological-overview
subject: Architectural Survey
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/2/architectural-survey
subject: Collections Research
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/3/collections-research
subject: Data Recovery / Excavation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/5/data-recovery-excavation
subject: Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/6/methodology-theory-or-synthesis
subject: Heritage Management
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/24/heritage-management
subject: Site Evaluation / Testing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/10/site-evaluation-testing

description: "The archaeological zone of Casas Grandes lies within this unknown expanse. Its cultural core is that prehistoric metropolis of which Bandelier counseled: I also venture to suggest that the earliest possible date the ruins of Casas Grandes be thoroughly investigated, since excavations, if systematically conducted, cannot fail to produce valuable results." -Bandelier, A.D. 1892 Comments such as these kindled the flame of curiosity and directed the Amerind Foundation, Inc., to turn its energies to this unstudied land. This was not a precipitous decision but rather one made after years spent piecing together the fragments of history pertaining to the south central portion of Arizona. In part, these earlier studies were initiated by first excavating a series of historic native villages visited by the Jesuit missionaries between A.D. 1687 and 1767. This provided archaeological flesh for the historical skeletons of such Ootam groups as the Sobaipuri of the San Pedro and their kin, the Upper Pima, of the Santa Cruz drainages. Such historical knowledge permitted one to step down the ladder of time to that rung which marked the era which preceded Iberian contacts. The 15th and 16th centuries were of prime importance in the annals of these desert lands. And, as is so often the case, they were intricately involved with cultural interplay. It was a time when the native Ootam were developing their various provincialisms. The Western Pueblo people moved from the north and the others came and built such villages as Casa Grande, Pueblo Grande, and Los Muertos. The latter were marked by multistories puddled adobe structures, truncated mounds, and other complexes which appear to be neither Western Pueblo nor indigenous. Such features led to the speculation that they may have been related to the area of Casas Grandes. Consequently, in 1958, Amerind began a search in northwestern Chihuahua in hopes of making a contribution to knowledge and to further understanding of human activities in arid zones.