New Research at Monte Negro, Oaxaca

Between 1937 and 1940, a team of Mexican archaeologists led by Alfonso Caso excavated at Monte Negro, a prehispanic settlement located atop a defensible mountaintop in western Oaxaca. Their efforts, among the first scientific projects in Mexico, yielded critical insights into social stratification, ritual behavior, and cultural development during the Late Formative Period (300-100 B.C.).

Extensive archaeological survey projects in western Oaxaca have since placed Monte Negro in a regional context, underscoring dramatic settlement pattern changes during this period. Investigations at the site since 2022 mark the first excavations in over 80 years and the first outside of the elite sector. This talk presents an overview of preliminary findings from the two most recent field seasons at Monte Negro.