The Trincheras Tradition from the Valleys to the Coast: Mortuary Practices in Puerto Libertad, Sonora.

This paper presents archaeological findings from excavations within the Salvamento Arqueológico Planta de Licuefacción de Gas Natural in winter 2022. The project area is located 2 kilometers southeast from the town of Puerto Libertad, Sonora and 800 meters inland from the coastline. A pre-Hispanic cemetery was recorded and excavated, with secondary pit cremations, secondary cremations placed inside locally produced plain ware and decorated vessels, and an articulated primary burial of a female, between 18 and 20 years old and with evidence of scalping. A possible crematorium 1.8 km away with cremations was also identified. The study area borders the precolonial cultural limits of the Costa Central and Trincheras Traditions and the documentation of cremations from the site were compared against previously excavated mortuary features across both cultural traditions. In addition to funerary practices, ceramic analysis demonstrated that the ancient inhabitants of Puerto Libertad belonged to the Trincheras Tradition and suggests they may have migrated from the valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]