James Watson
University of Arizona, Arizona State Museum, Faculty Member
The peopling of the Andean highlands above 2500 m in elevation was a complex process that included cultural, biological, and genetic adaptations. Here, we present a time series of ancient whole genomes from the Andes of Peru, dating back... more
The peopling of the Andean highlands above 2500 m in elevation was a complex process that included cultural, biological, and genetic adaptations. Here, we present a time series of ancient whole genomes from the Andes of Peru, dating back to 7000 calendar years before the present (BP), and compare them to 42 new genome-wide genetic variation datasets from both highland and lowland populations. We infer three significant features: a split between low-and high-elevation populations that occurred between 9200 and 8200 BP; a population collapse after European contact that is significantly more severe in South American lowlanders than in highland populations ; and evidence for positive selection at genetic loci related to starch digestion and plausibly pathogen resistance after European contact. We do not find selective sweep signals related to known components of the human hypoxia response, which may suggest more complex modes of genetic adaptation to high altitude.
Objectives: The objective of this work is to characterize dental wear in a skeletal sample dating to the Middle/Late Archaic period transition (8,000-6,700 cal. B.P.) from the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru to better define subsistence... more
Objectives: The objective of this work is to characterize dental wear in a skeletal sample dating to the Middle/Late Archaic period transition (8,000-6,700 cal. B.P.) from the Lake Titicaca Basin, Peru to better define subsistence behaviors of foragers prior to incipient sedentism and food production. Materials and Methods: The dental sample consists of 251 teeth from 11 individuals recovered from the site of Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (SMP), the earliest securely dated burial assemblage in the Lake Titicaca Basin and the only burial assemblage in the region from an unequivocal forager context. Occlusal surface wear was quantified according to Smith (1984) and Scott (1979a) to characterize diversity within the site and to facilitate comparison with other foraging groups worldwide. General linear modeling was used to assess observation error and principal axis analysis was used to compare molar wear rates and angles. Teeth were also examined for caries and specialized wear. Results: Occlusal surface attrition is generally heavy across the dental arcade and tends to be flat among posterior teeth. Only one carious lesion was observed. Five of the 11 individuals exhibit lin-gual surface attrition of the maxillary anterior teeth (LSAMAT). Discussion: Tooth wear rates, molar wear plane, and caries rates are consistent with terrestrial foraging and a diverse diet. The presence of LSAMAT indicates tuber processing. The results therefore contribute critical new data toward our understanding of forager diet in the Altiplano prior to plant and animal domestication in the south-central Andes.
Research Interests:
High-elevation environments above 2500 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) were among the planet's last frontiers of human colonization. Research on the speed and tempo of this colonization process is active and holds implications for... more
High-elevation environments above 2500 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) were among the planet's last frontiers of human colonization. Research on the speed and tempo of this colonization process is active and holds implications for understanding rates of genetic, physiological and cultural adaptation in our species. Permanent occupation of high-elevation environments in the Andes Mountains of South America tentatively began with hunter–gatherers around 9 ka according to current archaeological estimates, though the timing is currently debated. Recent observations on the archaeological site of Soro Mik'aya Patjxa (8.0–6.5 ka), located at 3800 m.a.s.l. in the Andean Altiplano, offer an opportunity to independently test hypotheses for early permanent use of the region. This study observes low oxygen (δ18O) and high carbon (δ13C) isotope values in human bone, long travel distances to low-elevation zones, variable age and sex structure in the human population and an absence of non-local lithic materials. These independent lines of evidence converge to support a model of permanent occupation of high elevations and refute logistical and seasonal use models. The results constitute the strongest empirical support to date for permanent human occupation of the Andean highlands by hunter–gatherers before 7 ka.
Bioarchaeological analyses of violence often narrowly focus on specific evidence and presenting potential explanations. These studies fail to consider the biocultural complexity contributing to patterns of violence. Here, we utilize an... more
Bioarchaeological analyses of violence often narrowly focus on specific evidence and presenting potential explanations. These studies fail to consider the biocultural complexity contributing to patterns of violence. Here, we utilize an expanded definition of burial taphonomy, considering body decomposition, to test if individuals exhibiting trauma differ in identifiable ways in an early farming community from the Sonoran Desert (circa 2,000-4,000 ybp). A variable matrix is constructed to examine demography, decomposition, post-depositional taphonomic processes, health status, and mortuary treatment. Although numerous community members experienced violence, we suggest specific individuals were selected for differential mortuary treatment as a form of postmortem signaling.
This technical note presents a refined technique for photo-documenting archaeological mortuary features using High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging. Mortuary features in archaeological context can be complex and delicate given the wide... more
This technical note presents a refined technique for photo-documenting archaeological mortuary features using High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging. Mortuary features in archaeological context can be complex and delicate given the wide variability in grave constructions and preservation of human skeletal remains. It is therefore critical to obtain the greatest detail possible when photo-documenting these features. HDR techniques represent more contrast in photographs and provide greater detail across the DR of illumination within mortuary features—where complex arrangements of human remains can obscure or darken other elements or associated funerary objects, making them difficult to identify in traditional photographs. HDR can be employed with most standard digital single lens reflex cameras used for archaeological field projects, is easy to learn and employ (as described here), can be processed and produced with commonly used photo editing programs, and is ideal for use in unpredictable conditions that are often encountered with archaeological mortuary features and in field conditions.
Research Interests:
Occlusal surface wear scores were examined in a sample of 200 Formative period (1,500 B.C.-A.D. 500) skeletons from the lower Azapa Valley in northwest Chile. Wear rate and plane (angle) were additionally evaluated using a subsample of... more
Occlusal surface wear scores were examined in a sample of 200 Formative period (1,500 B.C.-A.D. 500) skeletons from the lower Azapa Valley in northwest Chile. Wear rate and plane (angle) were additionally evaluated using a subsample of paired first and second mandibular molars. The Formative period represents the transition from marine foraging to agro-pastoral dependence in the region and differences in oral pathology indicate that diet varied by site location (coast vs. valley interior) but not by archaeological phase (early vs. late). We predicted that occlusal wear would demonstrate similar patterns, resulting from differences in food consistency, and therefore hypothesized that occlusal surfaces should wear faster and exhibit flat molar wear in coastal groups consuming greater quantities of foraged foods compared to slower wear rates but more angled molar wear among valley interior groups consuming greater quantities of agro-pastoral products. Heavier posterior tooth wear was identified among coastal residents but rate and angle of molar occlusal attrition did not differ significantly by location. Heavier overall wear and a steeper molar wear plane were identified during the early phase indicating that food consistency varied somewhat over the course of the Formative period. Overall, the results indicate that, although limited differences in tooth wear exist by site location, wear varied more over time likely reflecting a gradual transition from foraging to agro-pastoral dependence in the lower Azapa Valley. Although oral health indicators point to differences in dietary investment by location, maintenance of a mixed subsistence economy likely sustained a comparative consistency of foodstuffs.
Research Interests:
This study explores the dynamic relationship between the introduction of agriculture and its effects on women’s oral health by testing the hypothesis that female reproductive physiology contributes to an oral environment more susceptible... more
This study explores the dynamic relationship between the introduction of agriculture and its effects on women’s oral health by testing the hypothesis that female reproductive physiology contributes to an oral environment more susceptible to chronic oral disease and that, in a population undergoing the foraging to farming transition, females will exhibit a higher prevalence of oral pathology than males. This is tested by comparing the presence, location, and severity of caries lesions and antemortem tooth loss across groups of reproductive aged and post-reproductive females (n=71) against corresponding groups of males (n=71) in an Early Agricultural period (1600 B.C.-A.D. 200) skeletal sample from northwest Mexico. Caries rates did not differ by sex across age groups in the sample, however, females were found to exhibit significantly more antemortem tooth loss than males (p>.01). Differences were initially minimal but increased by age cohort until post-reproductive females experienced a considerable amount of tooth loss, during a life stage when the accumulation of bodily insults likely contributed to dental exfoliation. Higher caries rates in females are often cited as the result of gender differences and dietary disparities in agricultural communities. In an early farming community, with diets being relatively equal, women were found to experience similar caries expression but greater tooth loss. We believe this differential pattern of oral pathology provides new evidence in support of the interpretation that women’s oral health is impacted by effects relating to reproductive biology.
Research Interests:
Indicators of oral health were recorded in a sample of 200 Formative period (1,500 B.C.-A.D. 500) skeletons from archaeological sites located in the lower Azapa Valley of northwest Chile. This period represents a major shift in... more
Indicators of oral health were recorded in a sample of 200 Formative period (1,500 B.C.-A.D. 500) skeletons from archaeological sites located in the lower Azapa Valley of northwest Chile. This period represents a major shift in subsistence strategies in the Atacama Desert, as coastal groups adopted agriculture and moved deeper into the valley. Frequencies of caries and antemortem tooth loss were compared between site locations (coast vs. valley) and by archaeological phase (early vs. late) to interpret the degree to which these incipient agriculturalists were reliant on domesticated resources. Overall, frequencies of caries (11.9%) and tooth loss (11.6%) are somewhat higher than other prehistoric groups practicing a mixed subsistence strategy. However, residents of the interior valley exhibited significantly more dental decay and tooth loss than those along the coast. Our results identify that although the Formative period residents of the lower Azapa Valley practiced a mixed subsistence strategy, the degree of reliance on agricultural production differed between the coast and the valley. We propose that these differential patterns in oral health are tied to local investment, adaptive cycles, and niche construction.
Research Interests:
Crown dimensions and occlusal surface wear rate and wear plane were evaluated using paired first and second mandibular molars from a sample of 84 Early Agricultural period (1600 B.C.-A.D. 200) skeletons from northwest Mexico. Although... more
Crown dimensions and occlusal surface wear rate and wear plane were evaluated using paired first and second mandibular molars from a sample of 84 Early Agricultural period (1600 B.C.-A.D. 200) skeletons from northwest Mexico. Although this period represents a major shift in subsistence strategies in the Sonoran Desert, from food-foraging to agriculture, archaeological and dental pathology studies have identified this period as one of relative dietary stability. It was therefore predicted that very little variation in occlusal wear would have occurred between the early phase (San Pedro: 1600-800 B.C.) and late phase (Cienega: 800 B.C.-A.D. 200). Comparison of crown diameters identified some phenotypic differences between sexes but not between archaeological phases. Molar occlusal surfaces were then divided into four quadrants, and wear scores recorded for each quadrant. Principle axis analysis was performed between total wear scores of paired, adjacent first and second mandibular molars to assess rate and occlusal wear plane over time. The analysis demonstrated that both wear rate and wear plane increased from the early to the late phase of the Early Agricultural period. These results indicate that although diet may have indeed remained stable during this period in the Sonoran Desert increases in the rate of wear and wear plane may reflect changes in food-processing techniques. It is suggested that more intensive processing of agricultural products during the Cienega phase simultaneously softened the diet to create more tooth-contact wear and introduced more grit to cause faster and more angled wear on the molar occlusal surfaces.
Research Interests:
Differences in dental health of prehistoric human groups are commonly attributed to specific subsistence practices, whereby food foragers generally have lower incidence of dental disease than agriculturalists. Dental health was assessed... more
Differences in dental health of prehistoric human groups are commonly attributed to specific subsistence practices, whereby food foragers generally have lower incidence of dental disease than agriculturalists. Dental health was assessed on a sample of 135 human skeletons from northwest Mexico that date to the Early Agricultural period (1600 B.C.-A.D. 200), which coincides with the initial introduction of domesticated cultigens into the region circa 2000 B.C. High rates of dental caries (13.46%) and antemortem tooth loss (17.57%) encountered in these prehistoric forager-farmers from the Sonoran Desert were determined to be the result of the consumption of highly cariogenic local wild resources such as cactus. These patterns mask the degree of reliance on agriculture in the area and highlight the importance of constructing local nutritional histories to better understand the unique diversity of human diets and their relationships to health and disease.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Architectural construction underwent a significant transformation from the Hohokam Pre-Classic (A.D. 700-1150) to Classic period (A.D. 1150-1450); from ball courts and pit house groups to platform mounds and adobe-walled compounds. These... more
Architectural construction underwent a significant transformation from the Hohokam Pre-Classic (A.D. 700-1150) to Classic period (A.D. 1150-1450); from ball courts and pit house groups to platform mounds and adobe-walled compounds. These changes reflect the partitioning of social, political, and religious space to facilitate differential access within sites. At University Indian Ruin (AZ BB: 9:33), a Classic period platform mound site in the Tucson Basin, mortuary features were commonly located within rooms or along walls outside of rooms, and often in discrete clusters. We therefore hypothesize that there is a direct association between interments and architectural units at University Indian Ruin (UIR)—a pattern that legitimized inheritance among house members inhabiting partitioned space. Chi-square results reveal that the frequency of mortuary features associated with architecture (66.1%) is significant. Further analysis of characteristics of these mortuary features (Spearman correlation) identify significant relationships between 1) burial type and site locus, 2) burial type and grouping of individuals, 3) burial type and artifact (ceramic) type, and 4) site locus and artifact (ceramic) type. Overall, our results demonstrate a significant association between architecture and mortuary features at UIR and we suggest that decisions made by the living when burying the dead reinforced social distinctions and corporate inheritance within Hohokam sites.
Research Interests:
Several hundred human burials have been recovered from Early Agricultural period (1200 B.C.-A.D. 50) sites located throughout the Sonoran Desert. These burials represent a substantial sample of the earliest farmers from the North American... more
Several hundred human burials have been recovered from Early Agricultural period (1200 B.C.-A.D. 50) sites located throughout the Sonoran Desert. These burials represent a substantial sample of the earliest farmers from the North American desert west and provide a unique insight into how the transition to an agricultural lifeway affected the health and lives of these peoples. The burial samples represent similar numbers of males and females of all adult age groups, lack juvenile remains, and demonstrate a wide variety of burial practices. Stature estimates reveal that these were generally relatively tall individuals, and limited evidence of infectious and degenerative diseases indicate the population enjoyed very good health. However, a high rate of trauma, some of which was violent in nature, suggests a significant level of conflict. Oral health was generally poor, although high rates of caries and tooth loss were likely the result of a balanced diet that
relied on highly cariogenic resources of local cactus, as well as a reliance on domesticated corn. This mixed subsistence economy appeared to have remained relatively stable for nearly 2,000 years, but evidence from tooth wear indicates mechanical processing of existing resources may have intensified during the Cienega phase (800 B.C.-A.D. 50).
relied on highly cariogenic resources of local cactus, as well as a reliance on domesticated corn. This mixed subsistence economy appeared to have remained relatively stable for nearly 2,000 years, but evidence from tooth wear indicates mechanical processing of existing resources may have intensified during the Cienega phase (800 B.C.-A.D. 50).
Violence is common among small-scale societies and often stems from a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. We suggest that socialization for violence and revenge as a motivation can encourage costly signaling by warriors and... more
Violence is common among small-scale societies and often stems from a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. We suggest that socialization for violence and revenge as a motivation can encourage costly signaling by warriors and contribute to the creation of atypical burials in archaeological contexts. We characterize mortuary patterns among early irrigation communities in the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States/northwest Mexico (Early Agricultural period: 2100 BC–AD 50) to define normative mortuary practices and identify atypical burials. One of the principle roles the performance of mortuary rituals fulfills is to publicly integrate a shared identity or reinforce social differences within a community. This postmortem negotiation of social identities was likely an important component to ease social tensions in early farming communities. However, atypical burials from these sites appear to represent acts of violence upon the corpse at, or after, the death of the individual that fall outside of the normative conformity to prescribed mortuary ritual. We propose that these cases represent perimortem signaling, a form of costly signaling conditioned as basal violent reactions, possibly stemming from socialization for violence.
Research Interests:
Recent excavations at the Postclassic period (circa A.D. 1000–1521) mortuary mound of El Cementerio (SON P:10:8), located along the Río Yaqui in central Sonora, Mexico, have documented 105 mortuary features (111 individuals) many of which... more
Recent excavations at the Postclassic period (circa A.D. 1000–1521) mortuary mound of El Cementerio (SON
P:10:8), located along the Río Yaqui in central Sonora, Mexico, have documented 105 mortuary features (111
individuals) many of which display elongated intentional cranial modification and several cases of tooth filing.
These constitute biocultural traits common across much of Mesoamerica throughout its Prehispanic cultural
sequence, which expanded along West Mexico and into northwest Mexico beginning in the late Classic
period. The examples from El Cementerio represent the northernmost concentrated expression of these
traits and could represent the spread of Mesoamerican/West Mexican identity associated with macroregional
trade and the expansion of the Aztatlán archaeological tradition during the Postclassic period in
the region.
P:10:8), located along the Río Yaqui in central Sonora, Mexico, have documented 105 mortuary features (111
individuals) many of which display elongated intentional cranial modification and several cases of tooth filing.
These constitute biocultural traits common across much of Mesoamerica throughout its Prehispanic cultural
sequence, which expanded along West Mexico and into northwest Mexico beginning in the late Classic
period. The examples from El Cementerio represent the northernmost concentrated expression of these
traits and could represent the spread of Mesoamerican/West Mexican identity associated with macroregional
trade and the expansion of the Aztatlán archaeological tradition during the Postclassic period in
the region.
Research Interests:
The INAH Proyecto Salvamento Arqueologico La Playa began in the early spring of 1995 with the primary objective of salvaging the innumerable artifacts and features threatened with imminent destruction from the massive and extensive sheet... more
The INAH Proyecto Salvamento Arqueologico La Playa began in the early spring of 1995 with the primary objective of salvaging the innumerable artifacts and features threatened with imminent destruction from the massive and extensive sheet and gully erosion of the Río Boquillas alluvial floodplain. These early years were almost entirely funded out-of-pocket by Elisa Villalpando, Guadalupe Sanchez, and John Carpenter, along with small grants from the Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry University of Arizona (U of A) and the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS). Fieldwork was carried out intermittently over long weekends and on holidays throughout the year with the invaluable help of numerous volunteers.
From those modest beginnings, the Proyecto Arqueologico La Playa evolved into a interdisciplinary and multi-thematic research project, involving several professional colleagues, principally from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) and the University of Arizona, as well as a number of undergraduate and graduate students from universities in Mexico, the US, and the UK. To date, the project has produced a minimum of nine undergraduate Licenciatura theses (Universidad de las Américas, Puebla and the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia), seven MA theses (UA and University of York), and one Ph.D. (University of Nevada-Las Vegas). The La Playa site, reflects an archaeological landscape encompassing 10 square kilometers located in northern Sonora, Mexico, and exhibits archaeological evidence of continuous human use since the Paleoindian period (circa 13,000 years ago), but it’s most intensive use was during the Early Agricultural period (3700–2050 cal BP).
During the Early Agricultural Period (EAP) humans began to manipulate their environment in significant ways related to agricultural production. La Playa contains an extensive paleo-climatological record and the remains of massive prehistoric irrigation systems. Ongoing geoarchaeological investigations at the site contribute greatly to our understanding of this intensively manipulated landscape and model the history of climate change that brackets the EAP and the agricultural system that shaped the landscape. Measurable climate change marks the beginning and end of the EAP in the Sonoran Desert; a period characterized by the development and implementation of a sustainable model of agriculture that led to significant population growth and cultural development in the Trincheras, Sonora region.
From those modest beginnings, the Proyecto Arqueologico La Playa evolved into a interdisciplinary and multi-thematic research project, involving several professional colleagues, principally from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) and the University of Arizona, as well as a number of undergraduate and graduate students from universities in Mexico, the US, and the UK. To date, the project has produced a minimum of nine undergraduate Licenciatura theses (Universidad de las Américas, Puebla and the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia), seven MA theses (UA and University of York), and one Ph.D. (University of Nevada-Las Vegas). The La Playa site, reflects an archaeological landscape encompassing 10 square kilometers located in northern Sonora, Mexico, and exhibits archaeological evidence of continuous human use since the Paleoindian period (circa 13,000 years ago), but it’s most intensive use was during the Early Agricultural period (3700–2050 cal BP).
During the Early Agricultural Period (EAP) humans began to manipulate their environment in significant ways related to agricultural production. La Playa contains an extensive paleo-climatological record and the remains of massive prehistoric irrigation systems. Ongoing geoarchaeological investigations at the site contribute greatly to our understanding of this intensively manipulated landscape and model the history of climate change that brackets the EAP and the agricultural system that shaped the landscape. Measurable climate change marks the beginning and end of the EAP in the Sonoran Desert; a period characterized by the development and implementation of a sustainable model of agriculture that led to significant population growth and cultural development in the Trincheras, Sonora region.
Research Interests:
The transition to agriculture has long been the subject of debate among archaeologists in the Southwest US/Northwest Mexico. Arguments suggest that cultigens and agricultural technology were brought in by migrating agriculturalists from... more
The transition to agriculture has long been the subject of debate among archaeologists in the Southwest US/Northwest Mexico. Arguments suggest that cultigens and agricultural technology were brought in by migrating agriculturalists from Mesoamerica or diffused through an interconnected network of local foraging groups. The results of either of these disparate processes would have had a significant effect on the foundation of human biological variation in the region as groups began to farm and populations expanded. Here I examine several lines of anthropological evidence to test the hypothesis that agriculture was introduced into the Sonoran Desert by migrating farmers from Mesoamerica. Linguistic models support migrations of maize-bearing proto-Uto-Aztecan peoples from central Mexico. Molecular analyses (modern mtDNA and aDNA) support diffusion of language, plants and technology and perhaps limited migration. Studies in skeletal biology of early farmers in the area support a gradual integration of agriculture into local foraging groups. Although evidence for migration appears to be limited, we still lack crucial data that would provide conclusive evidence to the contrary. The introduction of agriculture is important to understand as a process that contributed significantly to the foundation of biological variation among later complex Formative period cultures of the region.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Early Agricultural period (EAP) encompasses the protracted transformation from foraging to settled agricultural village life in the Sonoran Desert from approximately 2,100 B.C. to A.D. 50. Las Capas [AZ AA:12:111(ASM)] is one of the... more
The Early Agricultural period (EAP) encompasses the protracted transformation from foraging to settled agricultural village life in the Sonoran Desert from approximately 2,100 B.C. to A.D. 50. Las Capas [AZ AA:12:111(ASM)] is one of the earliest, best preserved, and most intensively investigated EAP sites in the region; documenting the transition in social organization from community to household resulting from the adoption of, and increased investment in, agriculture. Underlying a regional uniformity in material culture and subsistence practices is evidence for significant social transformation that includes a shift from large houses and external storage to smaller houses and internal storage, the formation of house and burial groups, and the appearance of community structures and cremation burial. Here, we utilize the well-preserved (and dated) stratigraphy at Las Capas to consider patterns in biocultural signatures (mortuary and osteological) over the duration of the occupation at the site and how they fit into broader patterns of social development during the EAP.
Research Interests:
The Aztatlán tradition of northwest Mesoamerica (AD 850/900–1350+) is one of the most understudied and enigmatic cultural developments in the Americas. This volume presents a spectrum of interdisciplinary research into Aztatlán societies,... more
The Aztatlán tradition of northwest Mesoamerica (AD 850/900–1350+) is one of the most understudied and enigmatic cultural developments in the Americas. This volume presents a spectrum of interdisciplinary research into Aztatlán societies, combining innovative archaeological methods with historical and ethnographic investigations. The results offer significant revelations about west Mexico’s critical role in over a millennium of cultural interaction between Indigenous societies in northwest and northeast Mexico, the Greater U.S. Southwest, Mesoamerica, lower Central America, and beyond.
Volume contributors show how those responsible for the Aztatlán tradition were direct ancestors of diverse Indigenous peoples such as the Náayeri (Cora), Wixárika (Huichol), O’dam (Tepehuan), Caz’ Ahmo (Caxcan), Yoeme (Yaqui), Yoreme (Mayo), and others who continue to reside across the former Aztatlán region and its frontiers. The prosperity of the Aztatlán tradition was achieved through long-distance networks that fostered the development of new ritual economies and integrated peoples in Greater Mesoamerica with those in the U.S. Southwest/Mexican Northwest.
https://uofupress.lib.utah.edu/reassessing-the-aztatlan-world/
Volume contributors show how those responsible for the Aztatlán tradition were direct ancestors of diverse Indigenous peoples such as the Náayeri (Cora), Wixárika (Huichol), O’dam (Tepehuan), Caz’ Ahmo (Caxcan), Yoeme (Yaqui), Yoreme (Mayo), and others who continue to reside across the former Aztatlán region and its frontiers. The prosperity of the Aztatlán tradition was achieved through long-distance networks that fostered the development of new ritual economies and integrated peoples in Greater Mesoamerica with those in the U.S. Southwest/Mexican Northwest.
https://uofupress.lib.utah.edu/reassessing-the-aztatlan-world/