Pre-Hispaniz terraces in the Mesoamerica Northwest

Abstract

The terraces are forms of adaptation to the geographical environment that allowed the use of the land for different purposes, such as agriculture, the construction of housing and ceremonial units, and finally, as a defensive system. These buildings were important in arid and semi-arid areas, such as northwestern Mesoamerica, where they allowed to conserve soil moisture and contain it in spaces with difficult access such as plateaus and mountains. In the south of Zacatecas, in the Momax municipality, these constructions are present in the archaeological site named as Cerro de San Miguel (Epicclassic 600-900 AD). On its southern slope there are terraces integrated into the ceremonial spaces of the settlement. Therefore, these constructions, also known as trenches, were a necessary adaptation of a regional agricultural system that complemented the gathering and hunting activities, so characteristic of this border region where sedentary groups and hunter-gatherers converged.