Archaeomagnetic Dating Of The Eruption Of Xitle Volcano, Basin Of Mexico: Implications For The Mesoamerican Centers Of Cuicuilco And Teotihuacan

A precise dating of the Xitle volcano eruption, which buried the Cuicuilco archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, has been achieved through archaeomagnetic and radiocarbon analysis. The study reveals that the eruption occurred around 2086 cal yr BP (95% confidence interval: 1995–2177 cal yr BP), with bootstrap analysis further refining this to a mean date of ~2041 cal yr BP (range: 1968–2041 cal yr BP). This revised timeline, spanning approximately 90 BC to AD 20, suggests a potential link between the abandonment of Cuicuilco and the early development of Teotihuacan. The research combines radiocarbon dating with paleomagnetic data correlated to geomagnetic secular variation models, providing a robust chronological framework for understanding the transition between these Mesoamerican centers.

Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J., Avto Goguitchaichvili, Pérez-Cruz, L., & Morales, J. (2016). Archaeomagnetic Dating Of The Eruption Of Xitle Volcano, Basin Of Mexico: Implications For The Mesoamerican Centers Of Cuicuilco And Teotihuacan. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.1317021