<http://purl.org/dc/terms/description>
"The movement of Pre-Columbian turquoise from the American Southwest to\r\nMesoamerica has long been considered an important factor in the emergence of complex\r\nsocieties in North and Northwest Mexico, including the one at La Quemada. This movement is\r\noften interpreted as an expansionary process involving the acquisition o f rare resources by\r\nCentral Mexican empires. I evaluated the proposition that turquoise was an important item for\r\nexchange and o f personal wealth and status at La Quemada by examining the intrasite\r\ndistribution of blue-green stones from excavated contexts. My analysis suggests that although\r\nturquoise was a precious and restricted good at the site, it was not valued locally for reasons\r\nassociated with large-scale political economy. This study does not minimize the importance of\r\nturquoise exchange, but raises doubts about the turquoise trade as a primary factor in the\r\ndevelopment of some northern sites, and is a step toward understanding why blue-green stones\r\nmay have circulated."@en
<https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0058368>