Teotihuacan (100 BCE – 550 CE) in Central Mexico is among the most intensively mapped, excavated, and studied ancient cities in the Americas. However, contemporaneous sites around Central Mexico have not received the same attention limiting our understanding of the Teotihuacan hinterland and how different regions interacted with or were integrated into the Teotihuacan polity. In 2019, Jurado began fieldwork at San Ignacio, the largest center in eastern Morelos during the Classic period and a possible Teotihuacan administrative center, to address these issues. In this presentation, Jurado summarizes 2019 fieldwork, which included mapping, surface collections, test excavations, and ceramic and lithic analyses. Jurado also discusses preliminary findings regarding San Ignacio and its relationship with Teotihuacan as well as directions for future research.
Erik Jurado works in Central Mexico on questions related to Teotihuacan and the organization of its hinterland. His interests include Classic period Mesoamerica, complex societies, urbanism, and household archaeology. He received a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Colgate University (2015) and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder (MA in progress). Since 2019, he has been a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.