Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Eruption of Xitle Volcano, Basin of Mexico: Implications for the Mesoamerican Centers of Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Jaime; Goguitchaichvili, Avto; Pérez-Cruz, Ligia; Morales, Juan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1317021.

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Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Eruption of Xitle Volcano, Basin of Mexico: Implications for the Mesoamerican Centers of Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan

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Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Avto Goguitchaichvili, Ligia Pérez-Cruz, Juan Morales • español

Abstract. The Cuicuilco archaeological site in southern Basin of Mexico is covered by lava flows from the Xitle volcano. Dating the Xitle eruption and Cuicuilco abandonment has long been attempted. Contrasting results with radiocarbon dates around 2000 and 1670 yr BP have been reported, with implications for the development of the Mesoamerican centers of Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan. Here, we analyze radiocarbon dates and paleomagnetic data for the Xitle lava flows. New age estimates for the eruption are determined from correlating full vector data with the geomagnetic secular variation reference model. The revised archaeomagnetic data give ages correlating with the radiocarbon chronology, with a mean of 2086 cal yr BP and 95% confidence interval from 1995 to 2177 cal yr BP. Bootstrap analysis of the calibrated radiocarbon and archaeomagnetic dates gives mean dates and confidence intervals of 2041 and 1968–2041 cal yr BP and 2035 and 1968–2073 cal yr BP, respectively. The interval estimated of ~90 BC to ~AD 20 supports a possible link between the abandonment of Cuicuilco and the early development of Teotihuacan.

Keywords: Cuicuilco, Teotihuacan, Xitle volcano, Archaeomagnetism, Mesoamerica.

Reference:

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J., A. Goguitchaichvili, L. Pérez-Cruz, J. Morales. 2016.
Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Eruption of Xitle Volcano, Basin of Mexico: Implications for the Mesoamerican Centers of Cuicuilco and Teotihuacan.
Arqueología Iberoamericana 29: 21-27.
URL: http://laiesken.net/arqueologia/archivo/2016/30/4. PURL: http://purl.org/aia/304.

Publication date: 25 April 2016.

Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to Rafael Garcia for the bootstrap analysis. Financial support from Conacyt-252149, DGAPA-PAPIIT IN105214 and IG101112.

About the authors

Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi (juf@geofisica.unam.mx) is a Researcher at the Geophysical Institute, UNAM, Mexico City. Avto Goguitchaichvili is a Researcher at the Geophysical Institute and Chair of the National Archaeomagnetic Service, UNAM, Morelia. E-mail: avto@geofisica.unam.mx. Ligia Pérez-Cruz is a Researcher and Chair of the Department of Geomagnetism and Geophysical Exploration, UNAM, Mexico City. E-mail: perezcruz@geofisica.unam.mx. Juan Morales (jmorales@geofisica.unam.mx) is a Researcher at the Geophysical Institute and Co-Chair of the National Archaeomagnetic Service, UNAM, Morelia.

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