The Casas Grandes Valley is located in the northwestern corner of the modern state of Chihuahua, Mexico. This area falls into the greater Northwest/Southwest cultural region. Research conducted on Casas Grandes ceramics up to this point has focused on form and design in connection with burials, authority, sociopolitical organization, ceremony and ritual, communication, and identifying cultural boundaries and influences. Very little has been said about some of the everyday uses of Casas Grandes ceramics. My thesis explores the evidences of use on ceramic vessels in the Casas Grandes region during the Medio period (AD 1200-1450). I conducted a use-alteration analysis on the interiors and exteriors of 300 vessels. The purpose of this study was to examine the question: how were the vessels used by the people of Casas Grandes? These analyses suggest that the vessels were typically used for separate but not altogether distinct use activities. All vessels had some evidences of wear, regardless of vessel form, size, or decoration. The general use patterns followed some intended functional categories, with enough variety to suggest vessels were also used according to individual needs.

As part of a multinational project and with the help of other professionals, I gathered and analyzed 110 samples of dental calculus (fossilized plaque) from human remains discovered at Paquimé and the Convento site in the Casas Grandes River valley to identify various microfossils still present in the silica matrix. Once identified, I used the results to reconstruct human/plant relationships present during the Viejo (700-1250 CE) and Medio (1250-1450 CE) periods in and around Paquimé. My data suggest that maize was used throughout both time periods, supplemented by wild plants, and possible marine resources. Further, evidence for cultural food modification methods such as fermentation, roasting, grinding, and nixtamalization (an alkaline treatment of the grain) was present. The data suggest prehistoric plant use went beyond simple subsistence, being modified for use as part of non-subsistence activities.

This research addresses how interregional interaction changed between the Viejo period (AD 700-1200) and Medio period (AD 1200-1450) in northwest Chihuahua, Mexico. Non-locally procured or created artifacts, features, and iconographic elements are used as proxy evidence for past long-distance relationships. Data available in technical reports and other publications concerning these materials in Viejo period contexts and a sample of excavated Medio period sites are synthesized and presented. The data are used to create a geospatial dataset and distribution maps with quantities and contextual information for each of the nonlocal materials. I argue that interaction and social networks with long-distance neighbors were complex and widespread during both the Viejo and Medio periods. These intricate relationships morphed and altered in profound ways with the rise of the regional center Paquimé and the fluorescence of the Casas Grandes cultural tradition, but some of the fundamental relationships also remained the same.

This thesis provides the first formal and phenomenological analysis of the architecture in Paquimé, otherwise known as Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. The eastern and western halves of the city are divided by a stone wall and reservoirs. The monuments on the east are rectilinear, puddled adobe structures used primarily for domestic and manufacturing purposes. The buildings on the west, on the other hand, are open earth mounds lined in stone for public displays. This thesis analyzes each building individually, the relationship of the structures to one another, and the entire layout of Paquimé in order to better understand Paquimian visual culture.