Location Map

The area of study is located in Michoacan, Mexico. Most specifically, we focus on the Lake Patzcuaro Basin (LPB) region and the adjacent northeastern obsidan mine region, which include the Ucareo/Zinepacuaro and Maravatio obsidian mines. The region considered for this project is highlighted in red. This region encompasses the the core and periphery of the Purepecha (Tarascan) Empire. The LPB region is considered the geo-political core of the Empire, and the obsidian mine region is considered the periphery of the Purepecha Empire. These obsidian mines (periphery) were conquered during the Purepecha (Tarascan) Empire extension due to their valuable resources (black and gray obsidian), which were highly desired by the Purepecha elites in the core region. Road infrastructure communicating both the periphery and the core regions are a significant element in undertanding the dynamics of demands and consumptions of this commodity. We explore a hypotehtical route coming from the east (periphery) to the west (core) at two scales: at the regional scale we explore the possiblity that SA1 archaeological site was a possible entrance from the northeastern obisidan mines (periphery) into the LPB core region, more specifically the capital of the Purepecha Empire, Tzintzuntzan. At the local scale (intra-site) we explore the least cost path crossing SA1 archaeological site, coming from the east (periphery) and exiting the site into the capital of Tzintzuntzan.