Chupicuaro Society

Chupícuaro lifeways and ideologies are difficult to interpret, given the limited number and scope of sites in its excavation history, as well as the disruptions that looting has made to the original positioning of artifacts at the sites (Bichet; Darras and Faugère). The interpretations that can be made are often formed with indirect evidence. For Chupícuaro daily life, they are formed on the basis of available resources in the region and common practices at nearby sites and throughout Mesoamerica. For Chupícuaro politics and economic relationships, they are formed on the basis of Chupícuaro and Chupícuaro-style ceramics found at other sites throughout Central Mexico, which could only have existed there through trade relations or Chupícuaro stylistic influence. Chupícuaro ideology can be speculated based on Chupícuaro figurine and vessel design, as well as from the objects found in funerary contexts.