BEFORE TEOTIHUACAN—ALTICA, EXCHANGE, INTERACTIONS, AND THE ORIGINS OF COMPLEX SOCIETY IN THE NORTHEAST BASIN OF MEXICO

For several decades, little research has been directed towards understanding the beginnings of complex society in the Teotihuacan Valley. Recent archaeological investigations at the Early–Middle Formative site of Altica provide a fresh perspective on dating the initial establishment of agricultural villages, early social and economic differentiation, and the development of intra-and interregional exchange networks to test comparative models of political economy.