Tradition Name: Casas Grandes

First posted by C. Dean Wilson 2014

Occupation in the Casas Grandes region began with small settlements from A.D. 600 to 1075 that were clearly related to other early manifestations of the Mogollon culture noted elsewhere, and are reflected by a number of distinct brown ware and red-on-brown types (Dipeso and others 1973). Pottery types described here, however, are limited to the distinct and widely distributed types produced and distributed during Medio period. While Casas Grandes is commonly associated with Paquime which was clearly the heart of the Casas Grandes tradition during the Medio period, it represents one site among hundreds in an interaction sphere that began to emerge just after A.D. 1150, and continued until the abandonment of Paquime at about A.D. 1450 (Phillips 1989). The extent of the Casa Grandes sphere include the Animas phase sites in southwest New Mexico and southeast Arizona, west to the Sierra Madre down to Madera areas and extended to the Bavispe drainage. In the Chihuahuan foothill zone, Casas Grandes pottery occurs south to a line drawn through Guerrero, Cuahtemoc, and Chihuahua. The Casas Grandes interaction sphere is associated with distribution of a wide range of goods which not only included Casa Grandes polychrome types but also shell jewelry, and macaw and turkey feathers (Dipeso and others 1974) While Casas Grandes is included here as part of the Mogollon with ties in areas across the southern Southwest, ties to Postclassic Meso-American groups such as the Toltec also appear to be ereflected,

Related Wares

• Casas Grandes Decorated or Polychrome Ware
• Casas Grandes Utility Ware