Document Type

Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Winter 2015

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Resource Management

Committee Chair

Steven Hackenberger

Second Committee Member

B. Palmquist

Third Committee Member

Lisa Ely

Abstract

US and Mexican teams have investigated the La Alberca Structure Complex with the community of Parangaricutiro. Their forest reserve, located near San Juan Nuevo in Michoacan, Mexico, contains several volcanic cones, including the famous Paricutin cinder cone. Sixteen earthen-rock structures have been mapped using aerial photography, GPS, GIS, and total station surveys. The structures range from 300 to 2,400 cubic meters in volume. The larger mound-like structures are traditionally called yacatas. Early radiocarbon dates for two of the three central structures (ca. 5200-2000 BCE) bracket dates for the Late Archaic burial in the La Alberca caldera. Arrangements of the larger structures partly match the configuration of nearby volcanic cones. Solstice and equinox solar horizon events, modeled using Starry Night Pro 6.0, do not match NW-SE alignment of three central structures. Further modeling will test if the azimuth of the central alignment marks the ecliptic and, thus, celestial horizon events.

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