Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

Malacological Material from Pezuapan’s Archaeological site, Chilpancingo (Guerrero, Mexico)
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Cedillo. This work allowed, at first, the size of the
main structure to be identified (Cedillo 1982). After
a relative abandonment, between 1999 and 2004,
archaeologist Elizabeth Jiménez started sanitation
and delimitation work, as well as consolidation
work on the structure’s west facade where the
main access is located (Jiménez 1999).
By 2005, the systematic excavation of the site
started under the supervision of archaeologist
Miguel Pérez, and then a second season with
archaeologist Hervé Monterrosa co-directing the
project in 2007; the malacological materials this
study focuses on emerged from those projects.
Most of the material proceeds from the joined
rooms located in the lower portion of the pyramidal
foundation, whose function, while still unknown,
could possibly have been for living accommodation;
their use as workshops has been discarded
due to the lack of evidence of production processes.
However, some valves have also been found
within the structural system of the building, inside
the foundation core as in wall grouts.
centiculatus, Strombus gracilior, Turritella leucostoma,
Oliva sp, Argopecten cf circularis, Periglypta
multicostata and Crasostrea iridescens stand out.
Figure 5. Strombus gracilior.
4. PEZUAPAN MALACOLOGICAL MATERIAL
In our study, we considered separating the
recovered material into two groups: the ones inside
the site official perimeter and the ones outside the
perimeter. This is because the contexts outside the
official perimeter are exposed to greater alteration,
due to urbanization and infrastructure works such
as drains. On the contrary, inside the perimeter, the
different elements which compose the site and their
respective contexts can be defined more clearly.
During the 2007 season’s excavation, 146
molluscs were recovered inside the Pezuapan site,
belonging to the Bivalvia, Gastropoda and
Polyplacophora class. Of the total material, 70%
comes from the Panamic Malacological Province,
that ranges from south of the Gulf of California to
Tumbes in northern Peru (Keen 1971); 26% corresponds
to coast lagoons possibly from the Pacific
Ocean (Valentín 2007: personal communication)
and finally 4% are from terrestrial habitats.
With the purpose of counting on a systematic
study, the material was divided into different categories
in order to separate the manufactured pieces
from the raw pieces, as well as to classify production
evidence and the finished objects. We
should point out that most of the recovered
molluscs do not present any cultural modification
(figs. 5 & 6); among which the species Pinctada
mazatlanica, Chama echinata, Spondylus calcifer,
Muricanthus princeps, Astraea unguis, Chiton
Figure 6. Astraea unguis.
As far as production evidence is concerned,
only 16 valve fragments of Pinctada mazatlanica
were identified whose external layer had been
removed (fig. 7), possibly by means of shafting
with a stone tool.
Figure 7. Worked pieces of Pinctada mazatlanica.
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
S.C. Aranzadi. Z.E. Donostia/San Sebastián