The archaeological site of San Blas was located near the town of the same name on the Pacific coast of Mexico in Nayarit state. The Matanchén phase (Late Archaic, 2100-1800 BC) site was discovered by Joseph Mountjoy in the 1960s, while it was being destroyed during road construction.
Salvage excavations were conducted by Mountjoy between 1967 and 1968. A large (90x40 meters by up to 7 meters deep) shell midden was identified, which included evidence for a pre-pottery (Matanchén Complex) site, which apparently was similar in date and content to what Voorhies has called Chantuto Phase shell midden Archaic.
The town of San Blas was an important gateway port for the Spanish colonial settlement of California. La Contaduria, the ruins illustrated on this page, was built by the Spanish during the latter part of the 18th century. "The Counting House" was eventually captured by Mexican revolutionaries in 1810, and fell into ruins by the end of the 19th century.
Sources
This article is a part of the About.com Guide to Archaic Period, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Magnaghi, Russell M. 1999. San Blas: Spanish Gateway to the North Pacific. Terrae Incognitae 31: 42-48.
Mountjoy, Joseph B., R. E. Taylor, and Lawrence H. Feldman 1972 Matanchen Complex: New Radiocarbon Dates on Early Coastal Adaptation in West Mexico. Science 175 1242-1243.
Mountjoy, Joseph B. 1970. Prehispanic culture history and cultural contact on the southern coast of Nayarit, Mexico. MA Thesis, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
