The Papaguería Obsidian Study: An Analysis of Spatial Patterns in Southwestern Arizona and Northwestern Sonora

Archaeologists have used obsidian artifact tracing to address a variety of issues related to the interaction of prehistoric groups. This study focuses on an area in southwestern Arizona and northwestern Sonora, Mexico where several prehistoric groups overlapped and exploited well documented obsidian sources. Our study includes more than 900 obsidian artifacts from over 300 sites and use of GIS analysis to examine source distributions and regional patterning. We address three issues that include whether proximity to obsidian sources was the single largest driver of source use, how obsidian acquisition and use changed through time, and whether different obsidian sources can be linked to cultural-temporal markers using ceramics and projectile point styles. We use the obsidian data as a proxy for the movement of Papaguerían peoples and to understand their interaction with neighboring prehistoric groups. Other resources such as marine shell and salt were also part of the interaction in this region.