
The Mesoamerican Archaic
From Warfare, Advancement, and Revisionism by Thomas Preston Floyd
March 30, 2026 · 33 min · Season 4 · Episode 91
About this episode
This episode discusses the early domestication of crops in the Tehuacán and Oaxaca Valleys of Mexico and features a science article about dating a site in Chile.
This week we talk about two regions of what is now Mexico, the Tehuacán and Oaxaca Valleys. I discuss how each of these regions show clear evidence of continued hunter gather economies steadily beginning to embrace early domesticated strains of local cucubrita, beans, fruits, nuts as well as teosinte (zea maize) from the nearby Balsas River basin. I also discussed the science article about dating at an important South American site in Chile: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw9217?utm_campaign=ScienceMagazine&utm_medium=ownedSocial&utm_source=twitter Twitter/X: https://x.com/WarAdRevPod YouTube: https://youtu.be/jC4PD1vkqYU
People in this episode
Host: Thomas Preston Floyd
Topics covered
- Mesoamerican history
- hunter-gatherer economies
- domestication
- archaeology
- agriculture
- Tehuacán Valley
- Oaxaca Valley
Keywords
- Mesoamerican Archaic
- Tehuacán Valley
- Oaxaca Valley
- domesticated crops
- hunter-gatherer
- archaeology
- Chile
- teosinte
- cucurbita
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Science
Books & works: science article
Places: Tehuacán Valley, Oaxaca Valley, Balsas River basin, Chile
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