After Teotihuacan: A View of Collapse and Reorganization from the Southern Basin of Mexico

Abstract

The collapse of ancient states is often examined from the perspective of regional capitals. However, factors contributing to the decay of central power may be better measured in the fates of surrounding communities, which may closely shadow or depart markedly from the trajectories of declining capitals. Here I examine the breakdown of the first millennium state of Teotihuacan, Mexico, from the vantage of Chicoloapan, a settlement outside of the capital that prospered in the years surrounding the state's dissolution. As a settlement that expanded while others were abandoned, Chicoloapan presents an opportunity to consider the conditions and strategies that promote resilience in the midst of decentralization and to examine collapse as a simultaneously regional and local process. Recent data pertaining to demographic growth, changing household practices and material culture, and internal social diversity at Chicoloapan are discussed. Particular attention is given to the possible impact of migration, an issue at the heart of enduring debates surrounding Teotihuacan's demise. Chronometric data from Chicoloapan suggest that Teotihuacan's influence in this area had diminished by C.E. 600s, lending support to recent arguments, based on evidence from within the capital, that the power of the state's governing institutions deteriorated during the sixth century. [Teotihuacan, collapse, Basin of Mexico] RESUMEN Los arqueólogos a menudo examinan el colapso de los estados antiguos desde la perspectiva de las capitales regionales. Los factores que contribuyen a la decadencia del poder central pueden medirse mejor en los destinos de las comunidades circundantes, las cuales pueden seguir de cerca o desviarse notablemente de las trayectorias de las capitales en decadencia. Aquí examino la caída del estado del primer milenio, Teotihuacan, México, desde la posición de Chicoloapan, un asentamiento fuera de la capital que prosperó en los años que rodearon la disolución del estado. Como un asentamiento que se expandió mientras que otros fueron abandonados, Chicoloapan presenta una oportunidad para considerar las condiciones y estrategias que promueven la resiliencia en medio de la descentralización y examinan el colapso como un proceso regional y local simultáneo. Se discuten los datos recientes relacionados con el crecimiento demográfico, el cambio de las prácticas del hogar y la cultura material y la diversidad social interna en Chicoloapan. Se da particular atención al posible impacto de la migración, un tema central de los debates permanentes que rodean la caída de Teotihuacan. Datos cronométricos de Chicoloapan sugieren que la influencia de Teotihuacan en esta zona había disminuido hacia los años 600 de la Era Común dando apoyo a los argumentos recientes, basados en la evidencia dentro de la capital, que el poder de las instituciones que gobiernan el estado se deterioraron durante el siglo XVI. [Teotihuacan, colapso, Cuenca de México]

Long‐term processes between Classic and Postclassic populations in the Mexico basin

“…Various authors agree that a radical change in settlement patterns occurred after the Teotihuacán collapse and the period known as Epiclassic in the basin of Mexico (Clayton, 2016; Parsons & Sugiura, 2012; Sanders et al, 1979), which is understandable after the disappearance of this important city, and we agree with Cowgill's (2013) question: What happened to the inhabitants of Teotihuacán? Limited information exists regarding the complex interactions between survivors of Teotihuacán roots and groups of Nahuatl or Mexica affiliation (Sugiura & SerraPuche, 1982).…”

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