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Recent research conducted in northern Michoacan, west Mexico, has yielded significant new datasets that can be used to reconsider the occupation of this region in the Postclassic period (a.d. 900–1541), prior to and during the rise of the Tarascan state. LiDAR data, in particular, has facilitated reassessment of the archaeological record and its implications concerning the population and social dynamics of this region. In this article, I combine data collected through traditional field-based research with LiDAR-derived data to reassess the population aggregation that occurred during a.d. 1250–1450 in the Zacapu Basin, resulting in the formation of a large urban system. Compared to prior population estimates and interpretations regarding the urban structure of the Zacapu Malpaís sites, the integration of these datasets enables both an increased scale of analysis and finer resolution, thus providing a clearer picture of one of the earliest episodes of urbanization in west Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cacao economies in far western Mexico developed between AD 850/900 and 1350+ along with the adoption of a political–religious complex centered on the solar deity Xochipilli as the Aztatlán culture became integrated into expanding political, economic, and information networks of highland and southern Mesoamerica. The Xochipilli complex significantly transformed societies in the Aztatlán core zone of coastal Nayarit and Sinaloa and parts of Jalisco, Durango, Zacatecas, and Michoacán. West Mexican cacao was acquired in the U.S. Southwest by Chaco Canyon elites in New Mexico through macroregional prestige goods economies as Ancestral Pueblo societies became integrated into the Postclassic Mesoamerican world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been widely documented that the dog (Canis familiaris) is one of the most important domestic species known by Mesoamerican cultures, from the Preclassic to the Postclassic. In spite of their importance and common occurrence at several archaeological sites, the morphological and morphometric information of the specimens is usually overlooked, which means that the prehispanic size diversity of the species is scarcely known. Based on the ethnohistorical data and that found in archeozoological records, at least three main lineages of dogs have been postulated. The common dog, the tlalchichi, is of low height and has a robust body. The xoloizcuintli, is assumed to lack two characteristics, fur and the first premolar. Some authors also refer this last lineage as an American type dog. This work, based on the common protocol for archaeozoological studies, analyzes a collection of 32 different specimens of dogs that is thought to be from sites located in western Mesoamerica. The Prehispanic regional size diversity of the dogs is explored by the height formula, which shows the range of sizes and establishes that medium, is the most frequent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present evidence of the presence of Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) in the interior of the state of Jalisco in winter, two decades after the first and only report from the coast of the state. This species is considered common along the Mexican Caribbean coast and Yucatan Peninsula during migration. We captured, photographed and banded a second year male, and took morphometric data on February 2018. We analyzed data from electronic databases on the presence of this species in Mexico which highlights the importance of the amateur birdwatcher communities and their relationship with an increase in rare and accidental sightings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paquimé, the paramount Casas Grandes site in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, was arguably the most socially complex and hierarchical pueblo in US Southwest and northwest Mexican history and its complex mixture of Puebloan and Mesoamerican material culture and iconography revealed it to be highly syncretic. The present study examines recent conceptualizations of Casas Grandes religion in comparison to Pueblo and Mesoamerican ethnographic and archaeological data and focuses upon Medio-period (AD 1200-1450) Chihuahuan polychromes to provide insight and revision to current understandings of Casas Grandes religious, social, and political organization. One icon depicts an anthropomorphic male with a scarlet macaw head or headdress and is a deity of Mesoamerica origin—the earliest portrayal of a solar deity called “Sun Youth” among Pueblo cultures today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various studies in the past have utilized a costly signaling model to understand the importance of foreign goods. With few exceptions, stone tools have been ignored in the discussion. Sourcing studies of lithic industries have often failed to acknowledge the social benefits of such trade for utilitarian objects that are also locally available with presumably lower acquisition costs. The Postclassic Aztatlán center of San Felipe Aztatán in Nayarit, Mexico is a particularly compelling case study for such an investigation. Here, both local and exotic obsidians are used abundantly, but the reason for this remains unclear. I propose that costly signaling may be the reason for the importation of these more costly lithics. To qualify this, I demonstrate that obsidian source can be easily differentiated visually with little effort despite similar appearance, making it a reliable signal of wealth and connections through visual sourcing experimentation. I then use Game Theory in the form of a Truth-Lying Game to illustrate the rational motivations for signaling as well as the deference to the presumed elevated rank of the signaler by the receiver. Through these analyses, I demonstrate the efficacy of obsidian source as a costly signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1972, Mexican archaeology experienced a major transformation due to the enactment of a Federal Law about archaeological, artistic, and historical monuments and zones, which changed the Mexican Government’s administration of Mexican archaeological heritage. In 1972, in West Mexico, an active group of archaeologists from the U.S.A. was working. They came from several universities and were also members of an academic association, the West Mexican Society for Advanced Study, that was based in Ajijic, Mexico, and comprised both U.S. and Mexican archaeologists. This group wrote to the government about their views of the new laws, and the government department concerned with their implementation, the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH – Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), then responded with the Mexican Government’s official standpoint. In this paper, we analyze the positions of the West Mexican Society for Advanced Study, and INAH. We observe the sociopolitical and academic contexts from both U.S. and Mexican perspectives, and we offer explanations about their opposing views. We consider this episode to be a manifestation of the ideas circulating between U.S. and Mexican archaeologies.En 1972 la arqueología mexicana tuvo un cambio radical. En ese año fue promulgada la Ley Federal de Monumentos y Zonas Arqueológicos, Artísticos e Históricos. Esta ley cambió la manera en que el gobierno mexicano administraba el patrimonio arqueológico nacional. En dicho año, en el occidente de México, estuvo trabajando un grupo muy activo de arqueólogos estadounidenses, que si bien procedían de diversas universidades, también fueron miembros de una institución académica. La Sociedad de Estudios Avanzados del Occidente de México, con sede en Ajijic, México, reunió tanto a arquéologos estadounidenses como mexicanos. Los primeros escribieron un documento que contenía sus opiniones sobre la nueva ley y lo enviaron al Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH). Esta dependencia gubernamental discutió la propuesta y fijó la postura oficial del gobierno mexicano al respecto. En este artículo analizamos cada posición. Observamos el contexto sociopolítico y académico tanto de la perspectiva estadounidense como de la mexicana y ofrecemos una explicación sobre las posiciones encontradas. Consideramos este episodio como una manifestación de la circulación de las ideas entre las arqueologías estadounidense y mexicana.

Some high-carbohydrate diets may lead to obesity and multiple metabolic disorders, including hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). This lipid abnormality is considered an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The sweet taste receptor TAS1R2 polymorphism (Ile191Val) has been reported to be associated with carbohydrate intake. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of the TAS1R2 gene polymorphism with carbohydrate intake and HTG among the population ofWest Mexico. In a cross-sectional study, 441 unrelated subjects were analyzed for TAS1R2 genotypes (Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val) by an allelic discrimination assay. Biochemical tests and a three-day food record were assessed. The Val/Val genotype carriers had a higher intake of total carbohydrates, fiber and servings of cereals and vegetables than the other genotype carriers. The Val/Val genotype conferred a higher risk for HTG than the Ile/Val and Ile/Ile genotypes (OR = 3.26, 95%CI 1.35-7.86, p = 0.006 and OR = 2.61, 95%CI 1.12-6.07, p = 0.02, respectively). Furthermore, the Val/Val genotype was associated with approximately 30% higher triglycerides compared with Ile/Val and Ile/Ile genotypes ( = 44.09, 95%CI 9.94-78.25, p = 0.01 and = 45.7, 95%CI 10.85-80.54, p = 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, the Val/Val genotype of TAS1R2 was associated with a higher carbohydrate intake and HTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social inequality is a problem at the forefront of anthropological inquiry. The material record can give us valuable information about what resources were used at a given archaeological site. In this study, I have used obsidian and its distribution as a proxy for access to resources. By determining which obsidian sources were used and by whom, we can begin to understand the differential access to resources which is paramount to understanding social inequalities. This research uses a combination of visual sourcing and XRF geochemical sourcing to identify patterns in volcanic sources of obsidian artifacts at Post-classic San Felipe Aztatán in Nayarit, Mexico. Despite excellent quality sources being easily accessible, more sophisticated lithic reduction techniques such as prismatic blade production, seem to have been used only with more distant sources. With no substantial qualitative differences among obsidian sources, purely social factors likely resulted in the temporal and spatial distribution patterns at San Felipe Aztatán. Here, the limited area in which Pachuca obsidian is found may indicate an area of elite residence or elite activity, while its limited temporal distribution may reflect the emergence of trade and influence of the Aztatlán tradition dating to the Amapa phase during the Classic Period (500–750 CE). This research may have greater application for other sites across space and time. If obsidian source can be utilized to identify social stratification, we may be able to understand the spatial and social organization of specific sites as well as the complex dynamic trading relationships among sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed 238 unrelated Mestizo (admixed) individuals from the West region of Mexico with the PowerPlex® Fusion System (Promega Corp.). Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were estimated for the 23 STRs included in this kit. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by locus and non-association between pair of loci were demonstrated by exact tests in this population. The combined PE and PD offered by this HID kit were ≥0.9999999986, representing a substantial improvement with respect to those previously offered by 15 STR systems. Interpopulation comparison by AMOVA tests demonstrated low but significant differences among Mexican Mestizos from West, Center, and Northeast regions (Fst = 0.01558; p = 0.0000), similar to the observed among three main ethnic groups from USA (Fst = 0.02048; p = 0.0000). This finding is consistent with the contrary clines of European and Amerindian ancestries described throughout the Mexican territory for Mestizos, the largest population (~90 %) in this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neotropical migratory songbirds typically breed in temperate regions and then travel long distances to spend the majority of the annual cycle in tropical wintering areas. Using stable-isotope methodology, we provide quantitative evidence of dual breeding ranges for 5 species of Neotropical migrants. Each is well known to have a Neotropical winter range and a breeding range in the United States and Canada. However, after their first bout of breeding in the north, many individuals migrate hundreds to thousands of kilometers south in midsummer to breed a second time during the same summer in coastal west Mexico or Baja California Sur. They then migrate further south to their final wintering areas in the Neotropics. Our discovery of dual breeding ranges in Neotropical migrants reveals a hitherto unrealized flexibility in life-history strategies for these species and underscores that demographic models and conservation plans must consider dual breeding for these migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

West Mexican metallurgy developed between AD 600 and the Spanish invasion. Laboratory evidence shows that metalworkers used a variety of metals and alloys, including copper-tin and copper-arsenic bronze, to craft both tools and status items. None the less, the primary technical focus was on two non-utilitarian properties of metal, its sound in bells and its golden and silvery colors in bells and sheet metal ornaments. Ethnohistoric and linguistic evidence indicates that the sounds of bells offered protection in war and structured rituals that celebrated fertility and regeneration. Metallic colors, especially of gold and silver, were associated with the solar and lunar deities and a shimmering sacred paradise. In focusing on metallic sounds and metallic colors, this metallurgical technology in large measure constituted a system of visual and aural symbols that created and recreated the experience of the sacred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade has seen the greatest increase in archaeological research in western Mexico since the 1940s. Unlike previously heralded renewals, this one is accompanied by widespread skepticism of the dominant culture-historical paradigm linking west Mexico to the rest of Mesoamerica, to the American Southwest, and to South America. Current research offers substantive new data and interpretations bearing on issues such as the definition of Mesoamerica, the role of South American long distance contacts, the human ecology of highland lakes, the role of river systems in Mesoamerican prehistory, and the nature/role of prehispanic elite exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some high-carbohydrate diets may lead to obesity and multiple metabolic disorders, including hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). This lipid abnormality is considered an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The sweet taste receptor TAS1R2 polymorphism (Ile191Val) has been reported to be associated with carbohydrate intake. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of the TAS1R2 gene polymorphism with carbohydrate intake and HTG among the population of West Mexico. In a cross-sectional study, 441 unrelated subjects were analyzed for TAS1R2 genotypes (Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val) by an allelic discrimination assay. Biochemical tests and a three-day food record were assessed. The Val/Val genotype carriers had a higher intake of total carbohydrates, fiber and servings of cereals and vegetables than the other genotype carriers. The Val/Val genotype conferred a higher risk for HTG than the Ile/Val and Ile/Ile genotypes (OR = 3.26, 95%CI 1.35-7.86, p = 0.006 and OR = 2.61, 95%CI 1.12-6.07, p = 0.02, respectively). Furthermore, the Val/Val genotype was associated with approximately 30% higher triglycerides compared with Ile/Val and Ile/Ile genotypes (β = 44.09, 95%CI 9.94-78.25, p = 0.01 and β = 45.7, 95%CI 10.85-80.54, p = 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, the Val/Val genotype of TAS1R2 was associated with a higher carbohydrate intake and HTG.