WORKED BONE FROM THE SITE OF LA MONTESITA (AGUASCALIENTES, MÉXICO)

Abstract

We present a study of the bone industry from the archaeological site of La Montesita (Aguascalientes, Mexico). This settlement is being studied in the project led by Dr. Schulze and Dr. Pérez Roldán. La Montesita is located in the state of Aguascalientes, and it dates back approximately to the Epiclassic period, from 600-900 AD. The settlement has a semi-sparce distribution, where most of the housing units are located on the Montesita hill, hence the name. We analyzed a set of 24 objects made of bone. Within the set, the presence of awls stands out. Our analysis will focus on both its typological classification and a technological and functional analysis through the observation de visu of the pieces, a microscopic study and their comparison. Likewise, we emphasize the distribution of the bone tools in the different spatial contexts of the settlement. This allows us to obtain a global view of the recovered bone industry at the Montesita site, and thus reach a better understanding of the material culture in the North-Center of Mexico —a region of great archaeological value to which little attention has been paid by researchers.