ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors present their effort to reevaluate the evidence for the preceramic occupation in the Basin of Mexico, one of the least known periods in the archaeological sequence of the region. The lacustrine system of the Basin of Mexico has played an important role in the study of the evolution of social complexity. Regardless of questions surrounding some of the discoveries reported from this area, direct dating clearly shows that the oldest known human remains are located in the Basin of Mexico. Without a doubt, research on preagricultural societies in the Basin of Mexico received a strong impetus from the work undertaken by Christine Niederberger at the site of Zohapilco on the shore of Lake Chalco. The most intensive occupation of the preceramic period, the Atlapulco phase, coincides with a period of optimal climatic conditions identified for Lake Xochimilco.
