|
THE TRINCHERAS CULTURE
Another tradition present in the southern regions of the American
Southwest and in Northwest Mexico is the Trincheras Culture. Largely
contemporary with the Hohokam, it shared some cultural features.
Unfortunately, the Trincheras culture is poorly known at present.
Not much research has addressed this group, which primarily inhabited
the Altar and Magdalena River valleys of northwestern Sonora, although
Trincheras sites extend into southern Arizona. The area along the
modern international border was a transition zone between the Hohokam
and Trincheras cultures in the late prehistoric period (A.D. 800–1300),
with sites characterized by elements of both traditions.
 |
| The Las Trincheras site in Northern
Sonora. »Enlarge
|
Trincheras populations farmed the river bottoms of Sonora and also
gathered wild resources and hunted in the surrounding hills and
mountain chains. Some of these people lived in houses constructed
in shallow depressions (pit houses)—much like the Hohokam
to the north, while others lived on terraces built into the sides
of the volcanic hills that dot the landscape.
These terraced sites are often termed Cerros de Trincheras (“terraced
hills”). The terraces that characterized these settlements
served several functions. They were house platforms for small structures
constructed of the local volcanic rock and—because they caught
water running off the slope of the hill—they also were planted
with crops for house gardens and small fields. They may also have
served a defensive role: local populations could withdraw to these
platforms and bombard their attackers with spears and stones. Ritual,
or ceremonial, structures are often found on the summits and at
the bases of these hills.
Trincheras ceramics are similar to those of the Hohokam in that
they are based on a brown-colored pottery, but they are decorated
with a purple pigment made from ground hematite (iron mineral) that
often is in a crystalline form, which gives the pigment a sparkle
effect.
These purplish hematite paints were sometimes combined with red
ochre paint that produced multi-colored designs that were occasionally
applied over a white clay slip. Shell bracelets and simple forms
of beads and pendants have been found at Trincheras sites. Hopefully
the Trincheras culture will receive closer research attention in
the future, and our limited understanding will be enhanced.
 |
 |
 |
| Examples of Trincheras Purple-on-plain pottery
(A.D. 700 - A.D. 1100). »Enlarge |
|
Examples of Trincheras Purple-on-red pottery
(A.D. 700 - A.D. 1100). »Enlarge |
 |
| Nogales
and Altar Polychrome pottery of the Trincheras Culture (A.D.
750 - A.D. 1100). »Enlarge |
Next: Arrival of the Europeans |
