A Comparison of Musical Instruments from the Prehispanic American Southwest and Paquimé, Chihuahua

Abstract

Research demonstrates the association between musical instruments and ritual practices and political complexity in the past. Musical instruments have been found at the Late Medio period regional polity of Paquimé in northern Mexico and in sites ancestral to Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest, but they have never been meaningfully compared. Paquimé’s occupation corresponds with the first half of the Pueblo IV period in the Southwest, a time when instruments were most numerous and diverse. Intriguingly, some instruments are found in both regions whereas others are not. We summarize the types known for both locations and compare them, considering the social and physical contexts of their use.