Erik Leslie Jurado

Although urbanism is a key focus of anthropological archaeology, most archaeological research on urbanism is city-centric, meaning that studies have focused disproportionately on the urban centers themselves, and we know comparatively little about the rural dimension of urbanism, and the role of rural communities in urban processes and dynamics. This is particularly true of Teotihuacan (100 BCE – 550 CE) in Central Mexico, the largest city in the western hemisphere at its height. This project investigates Teotihuacan polity organization and urban-rural interaction through residential excavations at San Ignacio, a regional center in Teotihuacan’s rural countryside in what is today the Mexican state of Morelos. Through excavation of possible elite residential contexts, the project’s primary aim is to determine Teotihuacan’s local impact on the social identities, ritual practices, and political-economic activities of rural elite at San Ignacio. Doing so will improve current models of Teotihuacan interaction and our broader understanding of urbanism.