Keywords

Casas Grandes, Basalt, quarry

Abstract

During survey in 2013, we identified the only known vesicular basalt quarry in the Casas Grandes region in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. Using XRF, we analyzed basalt from the Santiago Quarry and compared the results to the chemical characterization of formal tools (mostly mano and metate fragments) recovered at the site of Paquimé in order to determine if this quarry was one of the sources exploited by prehistoric stoneworkers during the Medio period (AD 1200–1450).

Original Publication Citation

Searcy, Michael T., Todd Pitezel, and Eric Christiansen 2017 Sourcing Basalt from the Santiago Quarry in Chihuahua, Mexico, Using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry. Paper presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, B.C.