Whalen Michael e and Minnis - Ceramics and Polity in The Casas Grandes

Society for American Archaeology
CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

Author(s): Michael E. Whalen and Paul E. Minnis
Source: American Antiquity, Vol. 77, No. 3 (July 2012), pp. 403-423
Published by: Society for American Archaeology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23486282
Accessed: 31-05-2017 19:01 UTC
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ARTICLES
CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA,

CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
Michael E. Whalen and Paul E. Minnis
The Medio period (ca. A.D.1150-1475) at the primate center of Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, is characterized by
polychrome pottery with elaborate, finely painted designs. This originally was presumed to be the peak of an evolutionary
sequence that began with coarse, simple decoration. New research and dating show that this was not the case. Instead, fine
painting and an elaborate set of design motifs are added to the older, simpler style at about A.D. 1300. Both types of dec
oration are produced through the fourteenth century. The addition of the new style is coincident with the rise of Casas
Grandes and was one part of a symbolic package that emphasized the prestige of the center. It is further argued that the
collapse of the primate center in the fifteenth century saw the demise of its symbolism. The older and simpler part of the
Medio period tradition, however, likely continued to be made at small, scattered post-Casas Grandes communities. These
have been unrecognizable in surface surveys, as their sparse surface ceramic assemblages contain Medio period utilitar
ian wares. This has led to the supposition that the Casas Grandes area was abandoned after the fall of the primate center.
This long-popular belief may be incorrect.
El Periodo Medio (1150-1475 d.C.) en el centro principal de Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mxico, se caracteriza por la cermica
policroma con diseos elaborados y finamente pintados. Originalmente se presume que este estilo fue el apogeo de una secuen
cia evolutiva que empez con una decoracin simple y burda. Nuevas investigaciones indican que este no fue el caso. Al con
trario, pintura fina y un conjunto de diseos elaborados se aadan al viejo estilo simple en el 1300 aos d.C., y los dos estilos
decorativos seguan producindose juntos durante el siglo catorce. Esto es coincidente con el desarrollo de Casas Grandes,
y se sostiene que el suplementario estilo nuevo era una parte de un conjunto simblico que serva para enfatizar el prestigio
del centro principal. Se sustenta que el simbolismo de Casas Grandes perdi su relevancia despus de la cada del centro prin
cipal en el siglo quince. Sin embargo, se piensa que fue probable que la parte ms simple y antigua de la tradicin cermica
siguiera producindose en comunidades pequeas y dispersas post-Casas Grandes. Tales comunidades han sido invisibles en
estudios de superficie, y los pocos tiestos que se ven en superficie son tipos utilitarios del periodo Medio. Esta situacin ha
llevado a suponer que la regin de Casas Grandes fue abandonada despus de la cada del centro principal. Ahora parece
posible que esta creencia popular sea incorrecta.
Chihuahua, Mexico (Figure 1) lies in the Grandes" (Lekson 2000:283), and it also has been
The Casas
southernGrandes areaPuebloofworld,northwestern
part of the ancient described as "the hallmarkbeen
type andreferred
the primary to as "the signature ware of Casas
There, Casas Grandes, or Paquim, long has been focus for Casas Grandes stylistic complexity"
known to be the largest and most elaborate com- (Moulard 2005:78). Ramos polychrome is one of
munity of the Medio period, ca.A.D. 1150-1475. the few ceramic traditions of the U.S. Southwest
Equally famous are the community's painted ce- and northern Mexico to use anthropomorphic and
ramies. Ramos Polychrome is the finest and most zoomorphic imagery in addition to geometric de
complexly decorated of all this pottery, and it long signs. This painted pottery has attracted much
ago was observed that "Ramos Polychrome is the scholarly attention from early days (e.g., Brand
classic type of the Chihuahuan series, in which 1933; Carey 1931; Chapman 1923; Kidder 1916;
forms, designs, and treatment were all carried to Sayles 1936) to modem times (e.g., Di Peso et al.
their highest development in excellence of execu- 1974(6) ; Hendrickson, 2000,2003 ; Lekson 2008 ;
tion and in variety" (Sayles 1936:54). Ramos has Powell 2006; Townsend 2005; VanPool 2003a,
Michael E. Whalen Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104

Paul E. Minnis Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019
American Antiquity 77(3), 2012, pp. 403-^123

Copyright 2012 by the Society for American Archaeology
403
404 AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 77, No. 3, 2012
Arizona New Mexico
Salado Mimbres
U.S.A.
100 km
. Casas
Grandes
Sonora Chihuahua
/ 1600m
Sierra Madre
v-/ tr
Palanganas
Palanganas - - / /
Figure 1. The Casas Grandes area of northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico and other areas men
in italics in Figure la. Figure lb shows the Casas Grandes locality and the sites mentioned
2003b; VanPool and VanPool 2007; Whalen and of the Casas Grandes po
Minnis 2009a). The origins of the pottery, how- a logical sequence was
ever, always have been obscure. The present study (Sayles 1936) (Figure 2).
reviews current knowledge of the histories of the ceramics associated wit
area's ceramic types and their design motifs. It pre- pre-Casas-Grandes Vi
sents new data to answer some long-standing ques- repetitive, geometric de
tions, and it shows how ceramics helped to struc- wares were presumed to b
ture the Casas Grandes polity. succeeding Medio period cerami
Medio types (e.g., Babcora, Dubln, a
Developmental Relations Ahumada Polychromes) had sim
among Ceramic Types sins' although they were pa
black. Ramos Polychrome continued to u
Archaeologists long have been interested in defin- and black painting but w
ing the origin and developmental relationships elaborate decoration, as jus
Whalen & Minnis] CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA 405
RAMOS POLYCHROME
RED (a BLACK) WARES
i m
mi ifllll 'f
MEDANOS RED-ON-BROWN
gpcm/ytiFr
Figure 2. The evolution of the Chihuahuan polychromes, as perceived in 1936; figure adapted from Sayles (1936).
This postulated sequence is a logical one, in collected in 1958-1961 by the Casas Grandes ex
which more colors are used and design simplicity cavation project (Di Peso et al. 1974:6). This
gives way to complexity. This developmental analysis did not focus on the developmental his
model was not based on stratigraphy but on sur- tories of the wares, and almost all discussion con
face ceramics and on excavated (or looted) whole sists of notations of trait similarities among types,
vessels. Fine ceramic seriation based on excava- For example, Babicora Polychrome is observed to
tion of stratified deposits is common in the adja- share more characteristics with the rest of the
cent U.S. Southwest and in Mesoamerica, so read- Medio ceramic tradition than any other single
ers may be surprised to learn that there have been pottery type (Di Peso et al. 1974:6:2). The dis
practically no such studies in Chihuahua. It long cussion stops here, however, without considering
has been recognized that stratified midden de- earlier arguments (e.g., Figure 2) that Babicora is
posits are rare all over the Casas Grandes area one of the oldest of the Chihuahuan polychromes,
(e.g., Brand 1933:91; Lister 1946:433), and recent Discussion of local ceramic development was
surveys there (Whalen and Minnis 2001a) found not relevant in Di Peso's view, as he argued that
that middens seldom were seen on 300 recorded the Medio period polychromes had Mesoameri
Medio period sites. can antecedents. Ramos Polychrome, the most
The most detailed descriptions of Medio pe- elaborate part of the Medio assemblage
riod polychromes come from the large samples scribed as possibly derived "from som
chrome type made further south in Mex

Peso et al. 1974:6:251). The same was said
Villa Ahumada and Babicora Polychromes
Peso et al. 1974:6:251, 300), although the la
type was seen to originate from a combina
local and distant ceramic traditions (Di Pes
1974(6): 183). This is consistent with the res
Peso's well-known interpretation of Casa
Grandes as an outgrowth of Mesoamerican
tures and economic interests. data from early excavations (e.g., Pitezel 2000;
Construction of a developmental sequence for Rakita and Ryomond 2003), but the limitations
the Chihuahuan polychromes further was ham- the data have made it impossible to resolve ou
pered by the way the Casas Grandes deposits difficulties.
were seriated. Excavated rooms were divided New light recently was shed on the problem
among three phasesBuena Fe, Paquim, and work in west-central Chihuahua, at the southern
Diablothat spanned the Medio period. Such most edge of the Casas Grandes culture area
phase distinctions in the U.S. Southwest or in about 175 km from the primate center. Using m
Mesoamerica characteristically are based on ce- terial from radiocarbon-dated contexts, Burd e
ramie differences, so that each chronological di- (2004) characterize the ceramics of the Viejo-
vision has a distinctive pottery assemblage by Medio transition, the early Medio, and the
which its deposits can be recognized. This was not Medio. They define Santa Ana Polychrome
the case at Casas Grandes, where phases were de- new Viejo-to-Medio transitional type out of wh
fined "on the basis of stratigraphy and architec- Babicora Polychrome evolved. It is notewort
ture" (Di Peso et al. 1974:6:84). In fact, it seems that Brand (1933), Sayles (1936), and Glad
that architecture was the primary distinguishing (1936) all considered Babicora Polychrome to
point. That of the Buena Fe phase was one-story the older, cruder predecessor of later, more
"ranch-style" construction, which was replaced by orate polychrome pottery (refer to Figure 2).
multistoried "high-rise" buildings in the Paquim west-central Chihuahuan study goes on to dat
phase. Architectural quality then degenerated in early Medio from the late A.D. 1100s to 1300
the final Diablo phase as morbidity overtook the to characterize its ceramic assemblage as
community (Di Peso et al. 1974:vol. 2). sisting of plain, textured, black, and red wares
The Casas Grandes pottery assemblages were Babicora Polychrome, and a few Chihuah
assigned to phases on the basis of their associa- trade polychromes of unspecified type. The la
tions with these architectural types. Ceramic as- Medio ceramics associated with post-A.D. 130
semblages for each phase were formed by taking dates include all of the early types, plus incre
the floors assigned on architectural and strati- quantities of Ramos and Villa Ahumada
graphic grounds to that phase and listing the pot- chromes. This discussion is abstracted from B
tery types found in these floor levels. The result et al. (2004:196). There is no suggestio
was that the same 22 pottery types, including all Mesoamerican antecedents in any part of th
of the Polychromes, occur in each of the three ramie sequence,
phases of the Medio period (Di Peso et al.
1974:6:84). Our tabulations made from the ce- Desgn Evolution n the Med0 Period
ramie counts presented with the architectural de
scriptions show fluctuations in type frequencies of We now turn to consideration of design sty
only a few percent across all of the phases. These across the Medio period, focusing on Polychro
type frequency differences have been found to be ceramics. Among the earliest discussants of C
statistically insignificant among the three phases huahuan polychrome painting was Alfred Kidd
(Whalen and Minnis 2009a). Finally, the archi- (1916:261-262), who described the design la
tectural elements used to define the phases were as consisting of two parallel horizontal lines
shown to be statistically indistinguishable among defined the space for decoration. This was f
Whalen & Mlnnls] CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA 407
3.0 mm -
2.0 mm -
1.0 mm -
Figure 3. Painted line thicknesses in the Chihuahuan polychrome types. The first six types from the left are thick-line
painting, while the next seven types are thin-lined.
with large triangles and diamonds. These were chrome types and varieties. It is clear that ther
subdivided into smaller units that were filled with were two types of painting in use during t
design elements, and these elements were grouped Medio period, and data from Paquim were us
into geometries and "life forms" such as humans, to construct Figure 3. One style used thick lin
birds, and serpents. Chapman (1923:33) observed of 2 mm to more than 3 mm in width. Babico
that vessel decoration zones were either a con- Dubln, Carretas, Villa Ahumada, White-Pa
tinuous band around the vessel or were divided Babicora, and Huerigos Polychromes are in this
into panels. Further detail on Chihuahuan poly- group. In addition to the use of thick lines, al
chrome designs was provided by Carey (1931), the types just mentioned show a lack of unifor
who attempted to quantify design element fre- mity in line width, much overlapping of lines
quencies. He noted that nine common design el- intersections, inaccuracy of line and figure dr
ements occurred on 80 percent of decorated ves- ings, and smearing of paint after application
sels (Carey 1931:346). Peso et al. 1974:6:93). In general, the quality of
The 1958-1961 excavations at Casas Grandes these ceramics was "at the lower r
by Di Peso and his colleagues provided the first found on Casas Grandes painted typ
in-depth study of Chihuahuan polychrome style et al. 1974:6:98). Much finer lines, abo
(Di Peso et al. 1974:6). There is a summary dis- 1.4 mm wide, characterized the s
cussion of all painted wares, plus lengthy de- which includes Ramos, Escondida
scriptions of the elements and design structures less-common variants of Ramos, Ba
found in each type. In addition, some of the poly- Villa Ahumada Polychromes. This
chrome types were further subdivided into named shows neater and more precise pain
varieties based on their stylistic elements. The Casas Grandes study correlate
One of the most important of these elements is lined or fine-lined painting with oth
painted line thickness. Di Peso and his colleagues vessel decoration. Di Peso and h
provided average line thicknesses for the Poly- used the "band" and "paneled" layout
Figure 4. Chihuahuan polychrome design pattern

3a. Examples of the more elaborate paneled layo
els or segments. In both figures, the dark areas a
color. Figure adapted from Di Peso et al. 1975:6
ogy described by earlier studies, and the

and described over 100 variants of these
(Di Peso et al. 1974:6:12-13). Figure 4 s
band and panel design layouts. of Babicora and Villa Ahumada. Dubln, Standard
It is also observed that paneled layouts are Babicora, Standard Villa Ahumada, Carretas, and
most common with the fine-line style of painting Hurigos Polychromes use many fewer layout
found on Ramos Polychrome and on the fine- patterns (Di Peso et al. 1974:6:201,245,305).
lined varieties of Babicora and Villa Ahumada Along with the paneled layouts and fine-line
Polychromes. Band layouts, on the other hand, painting also goes considerable variety in design
characterize Dubln, the Standard (or thick lined) elements and motifs. These include a wide vari
variants of Babicora and Villa Ahumada, as well ety of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures.
a.
Figure 5. Examples of Chihuahuan polychrome vessels done in Design Horizons A and B. The vessel o
Standard Babicora polychrome, and the one on the right is Ramos polychrome.
The macaw motif that is so characteristic of Casas motifs, and black-bordered red elem
Grandes, for instance, occurs most commonly on sign Horizon B. Babicora and Villa
Ramos Polychrome. Likewise, it was noted that on the other hand, contain examples of
the macaw motif was more common on the finer sign Horizons A and B. Babicora
varieties of Villa Ahumada (Di Peso et al. Ahumada A are by far the most common
1974:6:312). Only one questionable macaw mo- of their types, and they were referr
tif was found on Standard Babicora sherds (Di Peso and colleagues as Standard Ba
Peso et al. 1974:6:94). Standard Villa Ahumada. Each has continuous
One of the most useful studies of Medio period layouts, simple motifs and l
design evolution to date is a study of stylistic ety. Their much rarer varia
evolution based on 361 whole vessels of the Villa Ahumada B, have panele
Ramos, Babicora, and Villa Ahumada Poly- complex and varied mo
chrome types from U.S. and Canadian museum (2003:84) observes that B
collections (Hendrickson 2000). The study was Ahumada B vessels conform
published later (Hendrickson 2003), and all sub- teristics of Ramos. Hendri
sequent references are to the latter volume. Analy- does not use painted line thic
ses of these vessels' decorations are used to define overlap, as was done in the
two styles of painting, which Hendrickson refers Still, it seems clear that the
to as Design Horizons A and B. The former is cations at Casas Grandes an
characterized by continuous layouts, a small num- museum sample are recogni
ber and variety of simple design motifs, and the tic regularities and thus can
absence of black-bordered red motifs (Figure 5a). Horizon A, as defined by He
The latter differs in its segmented or paneled lay- sponds to the unnamed, th
outs, greater number of motifs per vessel, and style of painting describe
more complex motifs. Black-bordered red motifs Hendrickson's Design Ho
are present (Figure 5b).Hendrickson then dis- eled layouts, complex motif
cusses the frequencies of these design styles style of precise, fine-lined painti
among Babicora, Ramos, and Villa Ahumada Di Peso and his colleagues (ref
Polychromes. Ramos Polychrome, with its near- Hendrickson's work goes
exclusive reliance on paneled layouts, complex Grandes study in definition of
ity between Design Horizons A and B. He

that the painted designs on pottery of the pr
ing Viejo period most closely resembled D
Horizon A but had little in common with
observation led to the proposition that the e
Medio pottery was done in Design Horizon
style, which later evolved to Design Horizon
This idea is similar to the one advanced earli
Sayles (1936), where coarse, simple paintin
the ancestor to the fine, complex style. This
implied an evolutionary order among polych
types. Babicora A and Villa Ahumada A, the
dard and most common variants of those ty
were argued to be earlier, while Ramos B (an
presumably, Babicora B and Villa Ahumada
came later in the Medio (Hendrickson 2003:86
This purely stylistic analysis was unable
define the origin of Ramos B or to explore its e
lutionary relation to Babicora and Villa A
Accordingly, Hendrickson provided two alte
tive developmental models. In the first, Ram
originates from an unknown source. Later, i
fluences the older Babicora A and Villa Ahum
A types, resulting in the B variants of those
It is unclear whether the older A variants ce
to be made at this point. In the second model
older Babicora and Villa Ahumada types of D
sign Horizon A developed into the later Ram
Polychrome (or Ramos B). The subsequent fate
the old, simple variants of Design Horizon A
uncertain. The author's data did not permit h
decide between the two models, and he conclu
that "Since there is no evidence of a Ramos A
its origin in the sequence is uncertain" (H
drickson 2003:86). block, but it appeared to be of the small, shallow
In the second recent stylistic study of Chi- sort that is typical of the area,
huahuan polychromes, Christine VanPool (2003a) The midden and environs were
makes similar arguments, citing Hendrickson's hand-operated soil corer, and this ef
(2000) original work and using her own stylistic surprising results. The midden dep
analyses of whole vessels from museum collec- from 80 cm to 120 cm deep, and the
tions. VanPool's discussion of polychrome evo- over an area of about 200 m2, nearly
lution is phrased in terms of a Paquim style was covered by wash from an adjacent
(VanPool, 2003a: 109), which corresponds to Hen- one-by-two m test pits were place
drickson's Design Horizon B and to the Ramos midden, and each was excavated i
style of the Casas Grandes study. VanPool also These pits ranged from 16 to 22 leve
uses the concept of a "non-Paquim" style, which cm deep. A search was made for oth
is the absence of the traits used to define the posits on the site, and a very d
Paquim style, i.e., fine-lined painting and solid ca.180 cm was found and tested on th
red elements framed by black lines. This non- the main room block. Together, thes
Paquim style seems to equate to Hendrickson's cavations provided a large, stratified
ramies and dateable charcoal, thus offering an from the lower, pre-Ram
excellent opportunity to study the evolution of the 6, and 7 were found
ceramic assemblage across the Medio period. event. The calculations
Several observations were made while exea- (Whalen and Minnis 2
vating these deposits. First, all test pits contained dates were averaged t
only ceramics of the Medio period. There was Test pits 3,4, and 5 have n
nothing that could be assigned to the preceding their pre-Ramos cerami
Viejo period. Second, the lower thirds of test pit scribed presently) closely
deposits contained no Ramos Polychrome. Third, lower levels.
after its appearance, Ramos Polychrome increases In addition, there is a
in frequency over time. It was clear that Ramos is the level in which Ram
a later addition to the Chihuahuan polychrome as- seen in test pit number
semblage, and the question was when this event second pit (number 7) y
took place. levels on either side of the first Ramos (above:
There is a series of radiocarbon dates on wood 645 30); below: 67
charcoal from the pre-Ramos and Ramos levels of scribed confirms that t
test pits 1,2,6, and 7. All dates were processed dated in each case. The ca
with extended counting by the University of Ari- elsewhere (Whalen an
zona Radiocarbon Laboratory, and they are pre- is therefore proper to cal
sented in detail elsewhere (Whalen and Minnis erage, which is 664
2009a). The derived dates were tested for con- There is a problem in con
temporaniety using the T statistic (Ward and Wil- endar years, as illustra
son 1978). The procedure tests the null hypothe- date falls directly on a
sis that the individual dates are all dating the bon calibration curve. Thi
"same" event, within the limits of radiocarbon describes as a short-term variation in the calibra
precision. In statistical terms, the null hypothesis tion curve, and its result is that a single B .P. date
says that the individual dates do not differ from may correspond with variable probabilities to
each other at a level greater than would be ex- several calendar dates. In the present case, the BP.
pected by chance alone assuming that all are mea- date has two calendar dates with nearly equal
suring the same event. The alternative hypothesis probabilities of occurrence: cal 2cr A.D.
is that the dates are different enough that they 1280-1330 and cal 2a A.D. 1340-1400. It is im
likely do not all measure the same event. The possible to determine which of these calendar
statistic is calculated as: year intervals contains the true date. Even so, we
can say with confidence that in this data set
2 2 Ramos Polychrome does not appear before
^ _j=i(A-A>) I si roughly A.D. 1280, or the late thirteenth century.
Also useful in dating Ramos Polychrome is an
Here, Ai is a radiocarbon date in years BP., Ap other series of four radiocarbon dates from the
is the pooled average of the entire series of dates, Ramos-bearing upper levels of midden test pits
and s is the sum of several error terms. Schott 2,4, and 7. These dates were found to be coeval
(1992) or Ward and Wilson (1978) provide fuller and they averaged cal 2cr A.D. 1280-1390,
explanations. The T statistic has a Chi-squared most likely somewhere in the fourteenth century
distribution with n - 1 degrees of freedom. If we This argues that the second of the two interval
accept the null hypothesis all dates are measuring given above (cal 2cr A.D. 1340-1400) does not
the "same" event, they can be averaged into a sin- contain the origin of Ramos Polychrome pottery
gle figure (Ward and Wilson 1978). This mean Test pits 3,5, and 6 had no upper level dates, but
and its standard deviation are then calibrated to their ceramic assemblages were very similar to
produce a calendar date range (Ottaway 1987). those of the dated levels. The implication of these
The OXCAL program (Bronk-Ramsey 2000) was findings is that the appearance of Ramos Po
used for all calibrations. All four charcoal samples chrome splits the midden test pits into two
66434BP
900BP r
0
68.2% probability
1280AD (25.7%) 1320AD
1 800BP 1350AD (42.5%) 1390AD
E
95.4% probability
S 700BP
o 1280AD (43.5%) 1330AD
-o
340AD (51.9%) 1400AD
J 600BP f-,
O
% 500BP
.g 500BP
a
C4
fV
400BP
J i i i i1 i i i i I i i i i I ii .i1
1 lOOCalAD
lOOCalAD 1200CalAD
l200CalAD UOOCalAD
!300CalAD MOOCalAD
!400CalAD 1500CalAD
1500CalAD
Calibrated
Calibrated date
date
Figure 6. The "wiggle" that exists in the calibration curve at 650-670 radiocarbon years B J5. In this case, two d
calibrated date ranges have about equal probabilities of containing the true date at 2a. Figure produced by
(Bronk Ramsey 2000).
chronological units. The pre-Ramos lower levels The advantage that using Ramos Polychrom
likely date before the late thirteenth century, over Gila as a late Medio marker is that the
These comprise about one third of the midden de- mer is much more common in Medio per
posits. The upper levels, about two-thirds of the posits than is the latter. The dividing date o
midden deposits, contained Ramos Polychrome. 1300 for early and late Medio also is being u
They yielded dates falling somewhere within the on the southern edge of the Casas Grandes
interval of A.D. 1280 to at least 1390, which area, based on radiocarbon dating and l
mostly is in the fourteenth century. ramie work (Burd et al. 2004:179).
These data suggest a division of the Medio pe
riod based on the presence or absence of Ramos Ear/-V and ^ Medio Ceramic
Polychrome. In round numbers of years A.D., the Assemblages, by Types
early Medio lasts up to roughly 1300, while the To this point, we have discussed only
late Medio ranges from about 1300 to the late Polychrome and its frequency changes over
1400s. The end date for the Medio period is based We now turn to the other components o
on reanalysis of the site's tree ring samples (Dean ramie assemblage. Table 1 shows coun
and Ravesloot 1993). This argument is consistent ceramic type frequencies from the seven tes
with earlier research. Lekson (1984) proposed a These are expressed as percentages of t
two-part division of the Medio period according number of polychrome and non-poly
to the presence or absence of Gila Polychrome, a sherds from the early and late Medio. For
trade ware of the Salado polychrome group from type, "n" in the table is the number of she
the U.S. Southwest (refer to Figure 1). This ce- covered from all test pits. A number of the
ramic type is well-dated from ca. A.D. 1300 polychrome types were lumped into cate
(Crown 1994:19). Accordingly, Lekson dated his e.g., Plain Scored, Patterned Scored, and Ru
division of the Medio Period as early as Scored compose the "Scored" category. The
A.D.1300. Gila Polychrome was present in some is true of the "Incised," "Corrugated," and
of the Ramos levels of the site 204 midden test Red" categories. "White-Paste Babicor
pits, but none came from the lower, pre-Ramos variant that will be described in succeedin
levels. Gila Polychrome also consistently ac- Corralitos and Huerigos Polychromes do
companies Ramos Polychrome at Casas Grandes, cur in the excavated test pits. The
Table 1. Ceramic Type Frequencies in the Site 204 Midden Test Pits and at Casas
early Late Casas

Medio Medio Grandes
Polychromes midden % n midden n site n
Polychromes
Babicora
Babfcora 49.11% 127 27.54% 247 8.78% 11,472
White-Paste
White-Paste Babfcora
Babicora 38.20% 99 20.29% 182 * *
Dubln
Dublan 9.40% 24 2.01% 18 .30% 398
Villa Ahumada 3.29% 9 5.57% 50 7.53% 9,840
Carretas 0 0 1.11 10 4.97% 6,496
Corralitos 0 0 0 0 3.77% 4,922
Escondida 0 0 .22 2 4.69% 6,126
Huerigos 0 0 0 0 1.40% 1,832
Ramos 0 0 40.58 364 68.54% 89,514
Total Polychromes 100% 259 100% 897 100% 130,600
Non-polychromes
Plain 81.89% 2,898 79.25% 6,562 72.21% 420,210
Scored types 5.85% 206 5.28% 437 4.41% 25,640
Incised types 2.86% 101 2.62% 217 2.13% 12,389
Corrugated types 2.20% 78 1.51% 125 .55% 3,225
Broad Coil .13% 5 .22% 18 .30% 1,728
Tool Punched .56% 20 .33% 28 .94% 5,499
Playas Red types 2.92% 103 5.28% 437 12.36% 71,925
Black 3.59% 127 5.45% 451 5.66% 32,939
Black-on-Red 0 0 .06% 5 1.44% 8,359
Total Non-polychromes 100% 3,538 100% 8,280 100% 581,914
*The frequency of this type was not tabulated in the Casas Grandes report.
Grandes" column shows ceramic frequencies at described in the Casas Grandes volume (Di Peso
the primate center. et al. 1974:6). Villa Ahumada stays at a fairly
Table 1 shows that there is considerable con- constant, low frequency from th
tinuity in the non-polychrome types between the upper test pit levels. The data of
early and late Medio, although their frequencies there are no ceramic diagnostics
vary. Some of these variations are statistically ously indicate the early part of t
significant, but many are not. The table also Dubln Polychrome is the type
shows that there is an early Medio Polychrome as- est to diagnostic status, as the
semblage that is much less elaborate than that of that it continues into the late Me
the late Medio. In the site 204 midden the early quency. It is the simplest of the C
Medio levels contain only four of the nine types chromes in terms of its designs,
and varieties found in the late Medio period. Two painted type that never bears th
of theseDubln and Villa Ahumada symbol that is characteristic of Casas Grandes
Polychromesare less common, while the other (Di Peso et al. 1974:6:99).
twoBabcora and White-Paste Babicoraare The early Medio painted assemblage is domi
more common. Researchers at work on the south- nated by Babicora Polychrome, which composes
ern edge of the Casas Grandes culture area re- nearly 50 percent of all painted sherds in the early
cently were led to wonder "whether Babicora and levels. This is standard Babicora, as described at
Dubln Polychromes might not be regarded as Casas Grandes (Di Peso et al. 1974:6:183-198).
embodying the beginnings of the Chihuahuan Babicora has often been argued to be the oldest of
polychrome tradition" (Burd et al. 2004:194). the Chihuahuan polychromes (e.g., Amsden 1928;
The data from site 204 support this supposition. Brand 1935; Burd et al. 2004; Carlson 1982;
Dubln and Villa Ahumada comprise, respec- Gladwin and Gladwin 1934; Kidder 1916; Rakita
tively, about 8 percent and 5 percent of the as- and Raymond 2003; Say les 1936), and the data
semblage in the lower test pit levels. Both are as from site 204 are in agreement.
v *
. m 5*P
Figure 7. Examples of the new type termed White-Paste Babicora. It carries

its fine-textured pastes range from chalk-white to grayish or pinkish whit
Ramos A or the heretofore undefined predecessor of Ramos polychrome (or
Second to Babcora, at about 36 percent of all (10YR 7\3,

painted sherds, is a ceramic that has only recently brown" (Di
been described in the Medio period literature. It discussion, mo
has been termed "White-Paste Babcora" (Whalen have gray cor
and Minnis 2009a). It is considered a variant of was the mos
Babicora Polychrome, as both use similar describes the B
signs and painting styles. In both cases, simple midden test pit
geometric motifs are formed from thick, impre- cora is made
cise red and black lines. The White-Paste Bab- Casas Grande
cora motifs use the simple, continuous layouts of have chalk-wh
the "Babcora A" style shown in Figures 4a and or pinkish whi
5a. Figure 7 shows photographs of White-Paste without much
Babcora sherds. We recorded recognizable de- are absent in
sign motifs from samples of these and other White-Paste
sherds, and Figure 8 shows the result. It is clear gray cores are
that White-Paste Babcora with both Standard paste, core,
Babcora and with Ramos Polychrome. shared by Ramos and Escondida Polychromes,
Although Babcora and White-Paste Babcora which are the other white-paste wares of the
are similar in many respects, they also are dis- Casas Grandes area.
tinctive. Standard Babcora Polychrome from Table 1 shows that White-Paste Babcora is
Casas Grandes has a range of paste colors from common in the early Medio midden test pit lev
"light reddish-brown (Munsell 5YR 6/6) or light els at site 204. We wished to determine whether
brown (7.5 YR 6/4) through reddish yellow (5YR it was similarly abundant at Casas Grandes and at
6\6) or pink (7.5 YR 7/4) to a very pale brown other Medio sites in the region. Accordingly, we
Whalen & Minnls] CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA 415
Standard White-Paste
Babcora Babicora Ramos
Babicora
n
n -
= 61 n
61 n =
= 60
60 nn-
= 92
92
e,L
E,LCM e,l [M
^ E,L bi
E,
e, L
l MX
bJXe,
E,l LMM
N\ ktn
e,
E, L
L ^E,
e, L
l
e, L
E, 1 e, lL
E, 1
m
e, L
E, l H-H
rm E,
e, L
l
E,l F
E, L
p P
e'l %
E<L ^
Ll
l
P
l
L OO
oo
<- 99
Figure 8. Design motifs shared by, and specific to, Standard Babicora, White-Paste Babicora, and Ramos Polych
The letters 'E' and 'L' indicate occurrence of the motif in the early and late parts of the Medio period according
site 204 midden test pit stratigraphy.
reexamined a sample of the Babicora sherds ex- sherds, or about 22 percent of the total. In se
cavated by Di Peso at the primate center. Sherds sample of 100 sherds from another box, we f
from the 1958-1961 excavations are stored at the about 18 percent white or off-white sherds.
I.N.A.H. warehouse in the town of Casas are not probabilistic samples, but they show
Grandes. They are sorted by type, and the ca. White-Paste Babicora is not simply a ce
II,000 Babicora sherds are in six boxes. All show variant confined to site 204 and vicinity. T
the Babicora A designs of Figure 5a. In an un- point is further reinforced by reexamination
systematic sample of 850 Babicora sherds from sample of 78 of our 1994-95 survey collectio
one randomly-selected box, we counted some from the Inner Zone, within about 30 km
200 white, pinkish white, and grayish white Grandes, and the Middle Zone, some 60-8
north and west of the primate center. These

are fully described elsewhere (Whalen and Mi
nis 2001a). In the restudied survey collection
White-Paste Babicora was identified from 23
the 78 sites, 11 in the Inner Zone, and 12 in
Middle Zone. The ceramic thus appears to ha
wide distribution in the Casas Grandes area. cora, Ramos, and Villa Ahumada that combine
White-Paste Babicora is the earliest-known geometries with new anthropomorphic and
Chihuahuan polychrome to combine red and black zoomorphic imagery. This painting style is here
painted decoration with fine-textured, white-firing termed Design Horizon B, and vessels done in it
clays. This is the combination that is refined into are seen as derived from three Design Horizon A
a later form as Ramos Polychrome (or Ramos B). types: Standard Babicora, White-Paste Babicora,
Accordingly, we identify White-Paste Babicora and Standard Villa Ahumada,
as Hendrickson's (2003) missing "Ramos A," or
the antecedent of Ramos Polychrome. It is true that Ceramics and Polity in the
the painting style of White-Paste Babicora is Casas Grandes Area
coarser and simpler than that of Ramos Poly
chrome. Nevertheless, this is a transition that has The preceding pages outlined a developmental se
precedent in the Medio ceramic assemblage. As quence in which a pervasive, long-lived Chi
described in the Casas Grandes volume (Di Peso huahuan ceramic style of Design Horizon A was
et al. 1974:6:183, 299), the Standard (or Design supplemented (but not replaced) in the middle of
Horizon A) Babicora and Villa Ahumada Poly- its span of existence by the finer and more elab
chromes are both accompanied by fine-lined vari- orate Design Horizon B. Both Design Horizons A
ants of Design Horizon B. The early Medio test pit and B were done on the same pastes and shared
levels at site 204 contain none of the fine-lined some design elements. Design Horizon B was
specimens, which accords well with Hendrick- argued to have been added to the ceramic assem
son's (2003) argument that all fine-lined poly- blage around the beginning of the fourteenth cen
chromes occur late in the Medio period. tury. Many questions surround it. Where did it
However, it is quite clear from the site 204 come from? Why did it exist? Why was it added
midden data that there is not a simple coarse-line- to the ceramic assemblage when it was? What be
to-fine-line replacement over time. The coarse- came of it? This section considers these prob
lined A variants of Babicora and Villa Ahumada lems within the most likely frame of reference: the
Polychromes did not disappear when fine-lined history of the primate center of Casas Grandes.
Design Horizon B painting began to be used. In
stead, both existed until the end of the Medio. The Origin of Design Horizon B
Moreover, a new study (Webb 2011) shows that Design Horizon B vessels, especially Ramos
there is little variability in fineness of painting or polychrome, carry two levels of symbols. The
in motif variety from the early though the late first consists of simple, repetitive geometries of
parts of the period. The proposed link between general southwestern U.S. style. These include in
White-Paste Babicora and Ramos Polychrome op- terlocking scrolls, opposing triangles or steps,
erates the same way, as Table 1 shows that White- "ticked" lines, and frequent opposition of hatched
Paste Babicora persists beside fine-lined Ramos in and solid elements. This sort of decoration also is
the late part of the Medio period. The ceramic tra- seen on vessels of Design Horizon A and to some
dition clearly does not contain a simple substitu- extent in the preceding Viejo period. Many (e.g.,
tion of fine painting for coarse decoration. Hegmon 1992; Kintigh 1985; Plog 1990; Wiess
In short, we see the Chihuahuan ceramic tra- ner 1985) have observed that this kind of decora
dition as having a characteristic style of painting tion is simple in structure, learned by rote, and of
across all polychrome types: bold, thick-lined, low information content. The second level of De
linear designs of simple geometries in red and sign Horizon B decoration is much different. It is
black. The established types are distinguished by a set of complex anthropomorphic and zoomor
phic images that likely carried a variety of ritual the Design Horizon
and social meanings. This paper noted earlier that from Mesoamerica in
Design Horizon B was produced from the older as originally was asser
Design Horizon A by addition of the images just example, Phillips et
mentioned and by increasingly fine brush work, ceptual differences
The latter likely was a necessity to paint the finer serpent Quetzalcoat
and more intricate Design Horizon B images. serpents of Puebloa
All who have studied Design Horizon B fig- rain-associated, but in f
ures agree that they represent ritual activities and ways. "Thus, argu
concepts, and some have gone on to include in tween Quetzalcoatl and
their interpretations sets of cosmological and so- us to assume a criti
cial precepts (e.g., Crown 1994; Di Peso 1974:2; that iconography" (Phi
Moulard 2005; Rakita 2009; Sphren 2003; same discussion, the
Townsend 2005; VanPool 2003a, 2003b; Van- more direct link with the
Pool and VanPool 2007; Walker 2002). Pre- is a similar mythologica
dictably, there is disagreement in the literature on America. It is likel
the specific meanings of the images. One point of from a Mesoameric
view, for instance, sees some of the scenes as may not have been a di
representing the spiritual journeys of human rit- ilar indirect transmis
ual specialists (VanPool and VanPool 2007); while involved in the use o
another asserts that the figures were intended to that have been cha
portray supernatural beings (Moulard 2005). Mesoamerica.
These are not mutually exclusive ideas in our More specifically, so
present state of ignorance about symbolism at to Casas Grandes of th
Casas Grandes. For the concerns of this paper, al- older Southwestern
lowing that the imagery represents any combina- culture of adjacent
tion of ritual practitioners, deities, or other su- (refer to Figure 1). M
pernatural figures or concepts permits its many elements of "Ca
classification as religious symbolism. (by which she means D
It also is noteworthy that Design Horizon B sition, layout, and painti
images like horned serpents, macaws, macaw- Classic Mimbres. Mi
men, Tlalocs, and a variety of fantastic creatures "an important source
are religious images in the societies of Mesoamer- of Casas Grandes ce
ica as well as among the Puebloan peoples of the Most recently there
U.S. Southwest. Accordingly, we can assert that Grandes "a sudden
at about A.D. 1300 (the opening of the late Medio into an otherwise unr
period), a new, complex set of religious and su- industry" (Lekson
pernatural images was added to the older, simpler that both ceramic tra
Chihuahuan Design Horizon A style of ceramic thropomorphic and zo
decoration. with many pan-Southwestern stylistic elements.
It should also be noted, however, that t
What was the Source of Design Horizon B? ado polychromes of sout
The new images seem to be a mixture of local and vicinity (refer to Figur
nonlocal elements. As noted earlier, the Design and closely related des
Horizon B style contains a number of pan-South- Grandes contemporaries
western motifs. These identify the basic affinity of VanPool et al. 2006:24
the tradition and testify to the integration of Casas chromes are mostly a
Grandes into regional interaction spheres. In ad- chrome. Crown's sample o
dition, it is beginning to be argued that some of for instance, was 75 percen
Nelson and LeBlanc (1985:6) observe that G

polychrome is the sole consistent diagnos
Salado, and Lekson (2008:275) describes Gil
"the essence" of the Salado polychromes.
cordingly, subsequent discussion is phrased i
terms of Gila Polychrome, which was a relati
common import at Casas Grandes and which
occurs with Ramos Polychrome. Preceding pages noted that the elaborate Clas
Interestingly, extant literature does not em- sic Mimbres, Salado, and Casas Grandes ceramic
phasize the Classic Mimbres antecedents of Gila designs most often are interpreted as religious
polychrome (e.g. Crown 1994: Dean 2005). This nature, representing to their informed beholder
likely is because Gila post-dates A.D. 1300, pro- spiritual world, a set of myths, and a perceived
ducing a gap of up to 170 years between it and the cosmological order. They communicate, in oth
earlier Classic Mimbres. Moreover, it has been words, what Rappaport (1999:263) has terme
observed that archaeologists "cannot trace the set of "ultimate sacred postulates." Religions, the
stylistic evolution of Classic Mimbres pottery same discussion asserts, have discursive aspe
painting much beyond the mid-twelfth century" that are expressed in symbols. Moreover, the
(Moulard 2005:78). Preceding pages of this paper symbols establish and maintain the convictions
introduced a new dating to ca. A.D. 1300 for and beliefs that are essential to all religions. O
Ramos polychrome and, by implication, of all ers have made similar points, terming such
Design Horizon B painting. Ramos previously pernatural symbols "a visual languag
had been dated to around A.D. 1200. Like Gila, (Townsend 2005:62) that expresses "a corpor
then, the later date of appearance of Ramos poly- cognitive code" (Coon 2009:61). This harks ba
chrome puts about 170 years between it and the to an earlier and highly influential interpretatio
Classic Mimbres pottery. To support the proposed of the Salado polychrome ceramic designs as
influence on Ramos polychrome designs, a cul- flections of a shared ideology that was termed
tural memory of the Classic Mimbres style would "the Southwestern Cult" (Crown 1994).
have to have persisted through eight or more gen- In addition to their roles as conveyors of "u
erations of complete disuse before resurfacing in timate sacred postulates," many have argued th
the Casas Grandes Design Horizon B. This seems iconographies frequently are used to support el
an unlikely scenario. status and authority in mid-level societies (e.g.,
Nevertheless, the problem of precise definition Crown 1994; Earle 1997; Hegmon 1
of the origins and cultural affiliations of Casas and O'Shea 2009; Rakita 2009; R
Grandes polychrome designs cannot be resolved Rodning 2009; Walker 2002). Wi
simply. At present, it seems most likely that the spective, ritual is a critical compone
Classic Mimbres, Salado, and Casas Grandes tra- lations, and it has been observed that
ditions of ceramic decoration all are manifesta- ary between religion and the social o
tions of "a long history of synthesis and re-syn- to draw in many contexts because of
thesis of familiar decorative programs and reinforcing natures of society and
symbolic themes embracing a very old cosmo- eties operate by "institutional facts,"
logical worldview" (Townsend 2005:48). This derstandings of power, prestige, an
worldview may well have come ultimately from tion. The existence and truth
Mesoamerica. Still, it should be noted that none understandings is affirmed by r
of these decorative traditions are copies of each pressed through symbols. This discu
other. All contain unique and innovative traits in stracted from Renfrew (2007). A c
addition to the pan-Southwestern ones. One see- derstanding is that ritual and
nario that seems increasingly unlikely, however, symbolism can be manipulated to a
is Di Peso's (1974) original claim that much of the ulate the social order, so that it is a
Casas Grandes ceramic tradition was derived sim- of authority and control (e.g., How
ply and directly from Mesoamerica. 2009; Shanks and Tilley 1987:322).
The concept of materialization can be added to all across the region. This
these ideas. This is defined as the transformation described for the Sala
of ideology into physical reality through cere- mentioned earlier in thi
monies, monuments, symbolic objects, and sym- ential extant study of
bols themselves. Ideas thus become parts of the ado polychromes were p
physical world and are owned and displayed like for many purposes, and
other valuable properties. These symbols and varied skills but with a ub
symbolic objects serve to connect the ruling elites set of icons" (Crown 19
with the supernatural world, to which they be- and Casas Grandes c
come gatekeepers. Chiefly power thus rests heav- consistent with the inte
ily on materialized, publically presented ideolo- uses postulated for the sy
gies. These serve to institutionalize the practices on pottery vessels. Clea
of rulership and subordination as well as to em- tulates and social contr
phasize the cosmological necessity for particular forms, must be broadc
patterns and practices. This discussion is ab- dardized ways if they are t
stracted from Earle (1997).
However, it should be emphasized that the Whl d(>es De^n Horif
to the Early Fourteenth Century?
Chihuahuan Design Horizon B vessels were not
made purely for use in religion or politics, nor is The next question to be
their occurrence limited to such contexts. Instead, ing of the appearance o
Design Horizon B vessels show wear indicative of this paper has dated to
a variety of uses (e.g. Sphren 2003; Whalen and dress this question, it is
Minnis 2009a). Sooting, for instance, sometimes the probable date of expa
is seen on Ramos Polychrome jars and bowls, of Casas Grandes.
Moreover, judging by quality of execution, the The main occupation at
producers of these vessels seem to have been as the Medio period, comm
varied as were their uses. Some Design Horizon 1200-1450, although the
B vessels were relatively crudely painted, while extends a few decades on
others clearly were the work of skilled artists. (Whalen and Minnis 2009
To investigate this observation, Sphren (2003) a long history, in which
established a number of measures of effort ex- ing Viejo period und
penditure in Chihuahuan polychrome production, rooms of the Medio. T
and these are examined across the region to see early Medio occupation t
whether all polychromes show comparable in- vised tree-ring dates from
vestments of labor and skill. Used in the study into the thirteenth cent
were museum collections of 699 whole vessels 1988). The same study, ho
from different sub-units of the Casas Grandes of the site's construction is from the fourteenth
area. The author concludes that specialists made and fifteenth centuries. This appears to be a com
large and medium-sized Ramos Polychrome mon situation in the region, as all of our excava
ovoid jars of Design Horizon B all across the re- tions of medium and large communities around
gion. Also, the analyses indicate that the primate Casas Grandes showed the same sequence
center had slightly better-done Ramos poly- (Whalen and Minnis 2009b, 2010; Whalen 2011).
chromes than its neighbors, although high-quality Preceding pages introduced the argument that
vessels come from large outlying communities, as Ramos Polychrome likely dates from the early
well. This does not necessarily lead to the con- fourteenth century. This requires some revaluation
elusion that the same specialists (e.g., at Casas of Di Peso's original, architecture-based chronol
Grandes) made all of these ovoid jars, which then ogy for the community. The problem is that ce
were exported to neighbors. It does, however, ramie counts in the Casas Grandes architecture
demonstrate that the Design Horizon B style was volumes show that Ramos Polychrome sherds
standardized, widespread, and carefully executed were found beneath the floors of all excavated
units (Di Peso et al. 1974:4, 5). In addition,

analyses were unable
signific to detect any
difference in Ramos Polychrome frequen
constructions assigned by Di Peso to the
Fe,Paquim, or Diablo phases. We therefore
tend that all of the structures dug by Di P
colleagues belong to the fourteenth centur
pansion of the community. Lekson (2000) r
the same conclusion based on the near-ubiqu
presence of Gila Polychrome in the Casa
Grandes deposits. period ceramic assemblage, including Design
An obvious interpretation of this situation is Horizon B, vanished because
that the community's fourteenth-century archi- the region to produce it. Oth
tectural up-surge reflected a substantial increase somewhat, noting that "alt
in its size and complexity. It has been argued prove the existence of a po
elsewhere that this was done through aggregation collapse] Casas Grandes ph
of neighboring populations (Whalen and Minnis gle date from CHIH 6:2:3
2009a). Others see absorption of populations from the data do not suggest a
neighboring areas of the U.S. Southwest (Lekson Casas Grandes culture after
2000, 2008; Moulard 2005). Whatever the case Paquim." Even so, the same au
may be, this also is the time when Design Hori- this "does not mean that th
zon B decoration was added to the old Chi- was abandoned, only that su
huahuan Polychrome ceramic assemblage. It is a had an archaeologically
time when stronger and more pervasive mecha- (Phillips and Carpenter 1999
nisms would have been required to integrate the The present paper proposes
community and its peripheries. Preceding pages Preceding pages argued
showed that there was little change at this time in Grandes' population was
te rest of the region's ceramic assemblage. Ce- tion that began around A
ramic symbolism, of course, was only one di- zon B was introduced then
mension of this activity. Additional integrative and regional integrative str
strategies and activities have been discussed else- built up the primate center,
where (e.g., Harmon, 2006; Minnis et al. 2007; ulation would bring it down. U
Rakita 2009; Ravesloot 1988; Whalen and Min- stances Design Horizon B rapid
nis 2009a), and most of these authors have em- meaning and been abandoned
phasized the central role of ritual in the Casas decorative technique requirin
Grandes polity. and painting skill than any of its contemporaries.
In this scenario, then, the post-Casas Gran
What Happened to Design Horizon B? pueblos continue t0 make the ever-pr
This question likely involves the larger issue of Horizon A ceramic assemblage but
the demise of Casas Grandes. This is a logical no use of Design Horizon B dec
supposition if, as proposed in preceding pages, the The question now is whether t
rise of Design Horizon B was a concomitant of ological evidence for this. Surv
the new organizational needs of the rapidly grow- Grandes region showed that th
ing primate center. If Design Horizon B was de- site type is the small, single-room
veloped to emphasize and validate the polity's key It accounts for % to % of all recor
ceremonial and social operating principles, then it sites, depending on the survey zo
might be expected to lose relevance and to dis- size of this sort of site is 500 m2,
appear with the decline of the polity. amples are 100-250 m2 (Whale
The collapse of Casas Grandes and its system 2001a: 123-125). The smallest o
of regional organization still is poorly understood, likely had eight to ten rooms, an
densities characteristically were very light. There done with coarse lines an
was enough pottery of utilitarian types (e.g., The latter shows a much w
Playas Red) to characterize the sites as Medio pe- ric, anthropomorphic, an
riod, but polychromes of Design Horizon B were painted in fine red and b
sparse or absent in the collections. orative styles cross-cut the established types,
There are two explanations for this situation. In which are distinguished only by their paste types
the first, the smallest of Casas Grandes' neighbors and surface finishes.
simply did not have many of the elaborate Design All Medio period painted pottery was done in
Horizon B ceramics because of their low standing the Design Horizon A style before about A.D.
in the regional community hierarchy. Their ce- 1300, when Design Horizon B made its appear
ramic assemblages thus consisted largely or ance. Ramos Polychrome and most other Design
wholly of utilitarian types and a few pieces of the Horizon B types have their antecedents in the
contemporary Design Horizon A. The second al- earlier style. It is clear, however, that there is not
tentative sees these small pueblos as elements of a simple evolutionary sequence from coarse-lined
the post-Casas Grandes population dispersal. They to fine-lined painting, as many had previously
continue to use the Medio ceramic assemblage assumed. Design Horizon A is indeed older than
but without Design Horizon B vessels. This ex- Design Horizon B, but the latter does not replace
plains why we see no evidence of occupation in the former. Instead, the new B tradition simply is
the region after the fall of the primate center. Post- a short-lived addition to the old A style that per
Casas Grandes sites exist but they cannot be rec- sists with little change throughout the Medio pe
ognized by their ceramic assemblages, and they riod. This addition was coincident with the rapid
could only be classified as "Medio" in the re- expansion of the primate center of Casas Grandes,
gional survey. Excavation and chronometric dat- where it likely was a symbolic expression of key
ing of these small pueblos, especially those with- ceremonial and organizational concepts,
out polychrome in their surface assemblages, is the In addition, previous discussions of authority
only way to resolve the question. Unfortunately, in and around Casas Grandes have used the idea
there are now no such data, as these sites always of a symbolically charged "architecture of
have been ignored in Chihuahuan archaeology. power." Not only did it characterize the primate
center, but it was replicated at strategic points in
Concluding Thoughts the Casas Grandes hinterland as part of a four

teenth century strategy of regional organization
For all of its fame, almost every aspect of the rise (Whalen and Minnis 2001a, 2001b, 2009a). A
and fall of Casas Grandes remains poorly under- plausible addition and supplement to the archi
stood. The original model (Di Peso 1974) envi- tecture of power is an intricate set of ceramic im
sioned a huge, powerful, Mesoamerican-affiliated agery. Architecture and Polychrome ceramics thus
regional captol surrounded by a vast and strongly form two components of a symbolic package that
integrated periphery. Its fall was a violent and visually expressed the power, prestige, and ide
dramatic one, brought about by outside invaders, ology of the primate center of Casas Grandes in
The model has undergone a good deal of modifi- the absence of the powerful, pervasive economic,
cation over the last few decades, but some still are political, and military institutions for which we
content with variants of it (e.g., Riley 2005). see little evidence in the archaeological record.
We argue that a simpler, less comprehensive,
and smaller-scale authority emanated from Casas
Acknowledgments. The data used here were collected by a se
Grandes into its peripheries. One of its compo- ries of excavations funded by the U.S. National Science Foun
nents was shared sacred postulates and ritual, all dation. The grant was made jointly to Michael E. Whalen at
conveyed by an associated symbol system. This the University of Tulsa and to Paul E. Minnis at the Univer
Study has been phrased in terms of the relation be- sit>'of Oklahoma. Work in Mexico was authorized by the Na
, . ,. . , tional Institute of Anthropology and History (I.N.A.H.) and fa
tween two decorative traditions, termed Design ciUtated by (hc Chihuahua LN A
Horizons A and B. The former is identified by appreciation is extended to all of thos
continuous bands of simple geometric designs the projects successful.
References Cited Frost, Dawn A.

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CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA, CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

CERAMICS AND POLITY IN THE CASAS GRANDES AREA,

Michael E. Whalen and Paul E. Minnis

Michael E. Whalen Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104

American Antiquity 77(3), 2012, pp. 403-^123

Arizona New Mexico

chrome type made further south in Mex

Figure 4. Chihuahuan polychrome design pattern

ogy described by earlier studies, and the

ity between Design Horizons A and B. He

early Late Casas

Figure 7. Examples of the new type termed White-Paste Babicora. It carries

Second to Babcora, at about 36 percent of all (10YR 7\3,

north and west of the primate center. These

Nelson and LeBlanc (1985:6) observe that G

units (Di Peso et al. 1974:4, 5). In addition,

Concluding Thoughts the Casas Grandes hinterland as part of a four

References Cited Frost, Dawn A.

2000 OXCAL Program, Vol.3.4. Oxford: The University of Harmon, Marcel J.

thropology and the University of New Taylor,

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