Cerro Portezuelo Archives, 1954-1962

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Summary

Creators:
University of California, Los Angeles. The Fowler Museum at UCLA, Archaeology Collections Facility
Extent:
10 linear feet (8 boxes, 1 drawer in flat file)
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

The Cerro Portezuelo Archives is a result of excavations conducted by George Brainerd in 1954 and 1955 and by H. B. Nicholson in 1957. The site is located near the ancient shores of Lake Texcoco in Central Mexico (now Mexico City) and spans the Classic to Post-Classic time periods (A.D. 350 - 1500). The city began during the florescence of the larger nearby city of Teotihuacan but survived long after Teotihuacan's fall and into the Aztec Empire. This collection's ceramic objects represent the most complete and unbroken sequence for the region, making it an invaluable research tool for understanding the turbulent political and social climate during Mesoamerican times. The objects held in the Archaeology Collections Facility includes ceramics, spindle whorls, figurines, stamps, chipped stone, ancestral burials, and memorial objects. Collection documentation include an inventory, maps, photographs and negatives, artifact descriptions and analysis, field notes, correspondence, burial accession records, progress reports, and a published report co-authored by Frederic Hicks and H.B. Nicholson.

Following Brainerd's death in 1956, Nicholson agreed to complete the project and conducted further excavations in 1957. The National Science Foundation provided funds to analyze the excavated materials in 1961 and the following year a brief surface reconnaissance of the site and surrounding areas was conducted under the direction of Dr. Clement Meighan.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series and subseries:

  • Artifacts - materials related to man-made objects found during excavation.
    • Bone - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of bone.
    • Figurines - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of figurines.
    • Spindle whorls - materials related to the excavation, description, or cataloging of spherical or circular objects with a pierced center, usually made of wood, stone, or clay, that act as a fly wheel for a spindle. [AAT].
    • Shell - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of shell.
    • Stone - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of stone.
  • Biographical Information - materials related to personnel.
  • Burials - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of burials and burial sites.
  • Ceramics - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of ceramics.
    • Distribution - materials related to the distribution of ceramics throughout site.
    • Drawings - drawings of pottery, potsherds and ceramics found at site.
    • Inventory - count of ceramics found at site.
  • Dating techniques - materials related to Carbon-14 and/or obsidian hydration.
  • Excavation description - materials describing the excavation site. [This includes descriptions of the geography and natural history of the area, as well as other data such as weather, population, etc.]
  • Field Notes - notes, notebooks, photographs, and other materials recording information found or observed during excavation.
  • Obsidian - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of obsidian.
    • Chipped stone - materials related to excavation, description, or cataloging of chipped stone.
  • Site management - materials related to the excavation enterprise. [This includes finances -- invoices, grants, etc. -- proposals and personnel].
    • Grants
    • Finance

Access and use

Location of this collection:
Box 951549
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1549, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4361
fowlerinfo@arts.ucla.edu
Website