Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana Volumen 64, núm. 1, 2012, p. 109-118 http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2012v64n1a9

Remote sensing detection of potential sites in a prehispanic domestic agricultural terrace system in cerro San Lucas, Teotihuacan, Mexico

Julia Pérez-Pérez^1,*, Emily McClung de Tapia², Luis Barba-Pingarrón³, Jorge E. Gama-Castro⁴, Armando Peralta-Higuera⁵

¹ Posgrado en Antropología, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D. F.
² Laboratorio de Paleobotánica y Paleoambiente, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D.F.
³ Laboratorio de Prospección Arqueológica, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D. F.
⁴ Departamento de Edafología, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D.F.
⁵ Laboratorio de Fotogrametría y Percepción Remota, Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria 04510, México, D.F.

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 Abstract

Domestic agricultural terrace systems located in the basin of Mexico were the basis of prehispanic economic specialization and also the most widespread form of intensive cultivation in piedmont areas. This paper focuses on the remote sensing detection and field testing of potential scenarios to recover evidence of these prehispanic features. The testing area of this article is located in the piedmont of cerro San Lucas, Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico. The site was selected after consulting historical and archaeological documents, followed by aerial prospection. In addition, the interpretation of aerial digital images and the application of specific software for automated image analyses provided a unique set of tools for generating spatial predictions about the prehispanic household distribution at cerro San Lucas. During terrestrial surveys we corroborated that the detection quality of predicted archaeological sites by means of photointerpretation and automated image analyses was acceptable, but insufficient to locate archaeological sites. The field reconnaissance was followed by a program of geophysical survey combining three different methods: magnetic gradient, ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity. Based on the geophysical data results one sample site was excavated mainly to test the evidence previously collected. The cumulative results were invaluable in order to obtain: (1) a remote localization of some potential domestic agricultural spaces, (2) the field identification of a Late Postclassic aztec household unit (1490 B.P.), (3) relevant information about the ecological and archaeological context and (4) a basis for an accurate site selection conducive to extensive excavation.

Keywords: Remote sensing; aerial survey; automated image analyses; archaeological field reconnaissance; magnetic; ground-penetrating radar; resistivity; archaeological excavation; domestic agricultural terrace.