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Identifying ceramic production and exchange in the Valley of Puebla, Mexico: a multifaceted approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2014

Ronald A. Castanzo
Ronald A. Castanzo*
Affiliation:
*Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, University of Baltimore, 1420 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA (Email: rcastanzo@ubalt.edu)
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Abstract

Pottery production in Formative Period Mesoamerica appears to have been organised at the household level, but its distribution also provides evidence of political or economic boundaries. One distinctive ware from the Valley of Puebla, Tlaquexpa Red, used for the manufacture of sub-hemispherical bowls, was analysed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The results indicated that many of these vessels were being made by families at Tlaquexpa itself, but that some of their products were being traded to other communities, including the nearby civic-ceremonial centre of Xochiltenango. The study gives new insight into the role of pottery production in pre-Hispanic households.

Keywords

Valley of PueblaFormative Periodpottery productionhousehold craftsinstrumental neutron activation analysisTlaquexpa Red
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 341 , September 2014 , pp. 805 - 821
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2014

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