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Cloth Production and Economic Intensification in the Area Surrounding Chichen Itza

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Traci Ardren ,
T. Kam Manahan ,
Julie Kay Wesp  and
Alejandra Alonso
Traci Ardren
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, P.O. Box 248106, Coral Gables, Florida 33124 (tardren@ miami.edu)
T. Kam Manahan
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, 226 Lowry Hall, Kent, Ohio 44242 (tmanahan@ kent.edu)
Julie Kay Wesp
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California-Berkeley, 232 Kroeber Hall, Berkeley, California 94720 (juliewesp@berkeley.edu)
Alejandra Alonso
Affiliation:
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (México) and Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada (aalonsoo@ucalgary.ca)
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Abstract

Recent investigations at the site of Xuenkal on the plains north of Chichén Itzá provide evidence of the changing regional political environment during the Terminal Classic Period (A.D. 900–1000). This paper examines a collection of spindle whorls recovered during the 2005, 2006, and 2007 field seasons of the Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal (PAX) as evidence for intensification of craft production. Through this analysis and comparison with spindle whorl collections from other Lowland Maya sites, we suggest the inhabitants of Xuenkal rapidly adapted to changing economic demands by increasing the amount of cloth produced in their residential settings, perhaps in response to increased tribute demands that emanated from the dominant political power of the region. Spinning and weaving is associated with the female gender during the Classic Period in Mesoamerica. Thus, intensification of this gendered activity not only produced excess materials for the state, but also reinforced its gender ideology. Analysis of these artifacts adds to the knowledge of Maya cloth production and addresses the nature of Chichén Itzá's influence on regional sites during the height of its influence in the Terminal Classic period.

Resumen

Resumen

Las excavaciones en el sitio de Xuenkal, ubicado en la región norte de Chichén Itzá, han permitido entender el cambio político regional que se presentó en el periodo Clásico Terminal (900–1000 d.C.). Para este estudio utilizamos una colección de malacates encontrados durante las temporadas de campo de 2005, 2006, y 2007 del Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal (PAX) como evidencia de la intensificación en la producción artesanal como consecuencia de un aumento en la demanda de materiales necesarios para la manufactura de textiles. Los resultados de este análisis y su comparación con las colecciones de malacates de otros sitios en Yucatán sugieren que las elites de Xuenkal se incorporaron rápidamente al cambio político. Hilar y tejer están asociados con las mujeres en el periodo Clásico en Mesoamérica. De esta manera, la intensificación de esta actividad no solamente produjo materias primas para el estado, sino también reforzó su ideología. Un cambio en los motivos iconográficos usados en los malacates sugiere un aumento de las prácticas públicas y de su apoyo a la ideología estatal. A pesar de que la colección más grande de malacates proviene de Chichén Itzá, la de Xuenkal es una de las más extensas en toda la península de Yucatán. El análisis de estos elementos permite un mejor entendimiento de la producción textil, y refuerza la idea de cómo Chichén Itzá dirige y controla todas sus influencias en los sitios cercanos durante el Clásico Terminal.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , September 2010 , pp. 274 - 289
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2010

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