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The First Prehispanic Chile (Capsicum) from the U.S. Southwest/Northwest Mexico and its Changing Use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Paul E. Minnis  and
Michael E. Whalen
Paul E. Minnis
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019 (minnis@ou.edu)
Michael E. Whalen
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK 74104 (michael-whalen@utulsa.edu)
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Abstract

Here we report on the first cultivated chile (Capsicum annuum) from the prehispanic United States Southwest and far northwest Mexico. A carbonized seed was recovered from a site near Casas Grandes, northwestern Chihuahua dating to the Medio period, A.D. 1200–1450. We then discuss the role of chile among prehispanic indigenous communities in the region and its transformation to a seemingly high profile foodstuff after Spanish contact. We suggest that the context of prehispanic crop introductions was far different from postcontact introductions and that this is central for understanding the changing use of chile in the region.

Resumen

Resumen

Aquí se reporta la primera confirmación de la cultivación prehispánica de chile (Capsicum annuum) en el Sudoeste del los E.U. y el extremo noroeste de México. Una semilla carbonizada de chile fue encontrada en un sitio ubicado en la región Casas Grandes del noroeste de Chihuahua y fechado al periodo Medio, o 1200–1450 años d.C. Se discute el uso de chile como un condimento raro entre la comunidades prehispánicas de la región. Después de la entrada de los Españoles, chile se cambió de algo raro a un condimento fundamental. Se sugiere que el contexto de la introducción de cosechas prehistóricas era muy diferente que la situación en tiempos históricos, observación que se sostiene es funamental para entender los cambios en el uso de chile en la región.

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Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 75 , Issue 2 , April 2010 , pp. 245 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2010

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