Durango, the Furthest Limit of Mesoamerica
Beatriz Braniff C.
During the pre-Hispanic era, certain parts of Durango and the south of
Sinaloa constituted the most northerly regions of the so-called west of Mesoamerica. However, whereas Sinaloa was continuously inhabited by agricultural and sedentary groups, Durango underwent a series of profound changes. The eastern region of Durango is extremely arid, which is why it was never suitable for agricultural or sedentary groups. Conversely, in the west, the Sierra Madre and the adjoining valleys offered a wide range of ecological niches that were ideal for relatively stable settlements, even for non-agricultural peoples.
The pre-Hispanic history of this mountain region can be divided into three main cultural periods: an extremely ancient one of hunter-gatherers; a second one that saw the enormous advance of agricultural and sedentary groups from the south and finally a third era when those agricultural areas were abandoned and the region was invaded by northern groups from another cultural tradition.
This ancient period, about which very little is known, can be identified on the basis of intriguing cave paintings that the hunter-gatherers left in their caves. During the second period, in approximately 600 AD, the Durango mountain zone was colonized by southern cultures from Zacatecas and
Jalisco, belonging to the so-called Chalchihuites tradition, a name derived from the place of that name (or Altavista) in
Zacatecas.
Several major towns were located in the high tablelands: there were perfectly aligned rectangular houses, as in Mesa de la Cruz, and houses organized around large patios, as in Cerro de la Cruz. One place that was strikingly different from this was La Ferrer?a, whose complexity suggests that it was politically extremely important. The hillsides were leveled off to build housing units and a pyramid with two sections and a
ball court were constructed at the top. There was a patio here with columns in La Quemada and Chalchihuites. The site also contains strange,
circular buildings.
Although much more could be said about these agricultural cultures from
Durango it is worth mentioning the fact that during the third period, those agricultural sites in the Chalchihuite tradition were abandoned in the 8th century and the region was invaded by people from the northern,
Sonoran tradition, which was apparently associated with the invasion of the Tepehuanes.
http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/historia/prehispanica/detalle.cfm?idsec=1&idsub=12&idpag=2514
