C. Lara & T. L. Bray: "New insights from Ecuador into Inca-style pottery production in the provinces" (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
A signature element of the Inca Empire is the highly standardized assemblage of ceramic vessels found across the length and breadth of the imperial realm. The question of how such standardization was achieved has long intrigued Inca scholars and led to a growing number of investigations into the organization of imperial pottery production. The present study contributes to this body of research through a compositional analysis of Inca-style pottery recovered from various sites in Ecuador. The goal of the analysis was to gain insight into where imperial-style wares from this region were produced. The results of the study indicate that production of Inca-style vessels in the distant provinces was less regulated than in areas nearer the imperial center. This suggests that local potters may have been free to emulate imperial forms, but that certain standards of care in paste preparation may have nonetheless been followed to elevate the state-styles above local varieties.
2019
Pottery production and consumption are social processes maintained through daily practices, which articulate communities, landscapes, and political economies (Bray 2009; Costin 2011; Sillar 2000). If material objects play central roles in colonialism and imperialism (Gosden 2004; Khatchadourian 2016), then pottery, can offer insight into people’s daily lives and negotiations within imperial contexts. In this paper, I examine transformations in political economy and daily life under empire in Peru’s Chachapoyas region, through the lens of ceramic analysis. Specifically, I focus on ceramic production and procurement practices by examining ceramic paste (the mixture of clay and inclusions), finishing techniques (i.e. surface treatment), and firing practices (i.e. sherd core color). Analyses of these attributes allow researchers to identify temporal and spatial variation in potting (i.e. pottery production). My aim is not only to trace the transformations but to highlight the continuities of pottery production in this region. Presented here are the results of attribute analysis conducted on ceramics collected from the site of Purun Llaqta del Maino (PLM), located on the eastern side of the Utcubamba River Valley (Figure 1). This site dates to the Late Intermediate Period (ca. 1200-1470), Late Horizon (ca. 1470- 1535) and early Spanish colonial periods (ca.1535-1650) and is thus well-suited for studying the local impacts of two successive waves of imperialism. By situating these technical, social, and daily practices within the larger context of Inka and Spanish imperial policies, I ask: Did Inka and Spanish resettlement campaigns and broader shifts in political economy, affect regional pottery production and daily life at Purun Llaqta del Maino? Through the careful analysis of 431 sherds, I found that there are some changes in regional potting practices, but earlier potting traditions are not lost and even preferred today. This research illustrates that imperial impacts are not always drastic and definitive but can also include subtle and minimal shifts. Thus, these results challenge problematic narratives of acculturation that assume the disappearance of traditional lifeways.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2013
The location of domestic pottery production is central to archaeological narratives. Yet too often, unfounded assumptions are made about place of production, especially in relation to place(s) of distribution and use. Only rarely is this geography of production and distribution explored in detail and with perspective. Here, we investigate this problem in the context of the Peruvian Andes. We present the results of extensive ethnoarchaeological research on the manufacture of domestic vessels in over thirty villages with potters in Northern Peru. Drawing on the ethnographic concept of technical style, we identify three tendencies on the relationships between toolkits, manufacturing techniques, geographic units, and exchange. From these tendencies we develop two models of domestic pottery production and distribution: the local production model and the non-local production model, which are applied in analysis of archaeological materials. While this distinction is apparently simple, we demonstrate how the explicit or implicit use of each of these models has shaped some of the most important debates and issues in Andean archaeology. In sum, we explain how understandings of the manufacture, exchange, and use of plainware impacts narratives about the pre-colonial past.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022
This paper challenges the still-popular use of territory, materiality, genetics, and linguistics to define a homogeneous and stable shared identity (or "diffuse unity") for the Isthmo-Colombian Area. Using the communities of practice and communities of consumption concepts, we suggest that the distribution of pottery was the result of practices related to production, exchange, and use of pottery, and not necessarily ethnic affiliation. This research is based on compositional and technological characterization of 117 ceramic samples through neutron activation analysis (NAA) and thin section analysis to identify the recipes people used in the Late Pre-Columbian period (AD 700-1500). Results show the different articulation of communities of potters and communities of consumption in Central and Eastern Panama. The analysis introduces more dynamic representations of the past by focusing on the value of consuming imported pottery for culinary, ritual, and political events for different pre-Columbian groups.
This thesis presents a typology for Formative Period ceramic styles from the Jequetepeque and adjacent valleys. The materials in question have historically been considered as Chavín or Coastal Chavín and more recently as Cupisnique, however, these terms remain vague and ill-defined. Other stylistic labels have also been applied (notably Chongoyape and Tembladera) but a lack of definition means that the use of these terms remains contradictory. Few attempts have been made to systematically consider let alone classify the artistic diversity of Formative Period North Peruvian ceramics. The first point raised in the course of this research is that not all these ceramics should be grouped under one monolithic label. There is a huge amount of diversity that can make generalised stylistic descriptions problematic. This research addressed this issue by using a quantitative multivariate approach. Statistical tests applied to the thesis dataset (c.900 ceramics) identified statistically significant combinations in the permutations used to classify variables such as chamber-shape, 3D-sculpting, handle-shape, spout-shape and spout-rim, the application of different kinds of paint, and the use of surface-texturing techniques, amongst others. The recurring of specific and mutually exclusive combinations of traits strongly indicates distinct manufacturing processes (chaînes opératoires) that in turn point to separate cultural traditions of ceramic-making. In particular, the identification and classification of two distinct handle-spout types and their consistent co-occurrence with other formal and decorative techniques are decisive in defining distinct ceramic styles. Within the Formative Period North Peruvian ceramic complex, two ceramic classes and seven types are thereby classified, plus a number of varieties. Through comparison with archaeological data, it was possible to assign some of these to geographical and/or chronological ranges, while also revealing a complex and fluctuating situation of ceramic-making and exchanging of techniques and motifs in the past.
Utilitarian Pottery-Making Traditions of Coastal Ecuador
This paper represents the a more complete version of an article published in Studio Potter Network News, vol. 16, no. 2, Oct. 2004. It represents research carried out by Kathleen Klumpp in the mid-1970's when the utilitarian pottery-making traditions of Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabí, and Esmeraldas Provinces was still on-going, with a peasant population typically using earthenware for cooking and storage purposes. In light of on-going archaeological research in these coastal Ecuadorian Provinces, it is important that archaeologists and other researchers of the "past" have access to this information.
The Latin American Studies Book Series, 2017
The Latin American Studies Book Series promotes quality scientific research focusing on Latin American countries. The series accepts disciplinary and interdisciplinary titles related to geographical, environmental, cultural, economic, political and urban research dedicated to Latin America. The series publishes comprehensive monographs, edited volumes and textbooks refereed by a region or country expert specialized in Latin American studies. The series aims to raise the profile of Latin American studies, showcasing important works developed focusing on the region. It is aimed at researchers, students, and everyone interested in Latin American topics.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2022
In Central Western Argentina (CWA), the Provincial Inca pottery has been the most ubiquitous indicator of Inca influence and expansionism during the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries. This paper presents a petrographic analysis of thin sections of ceramic samples from the Inca and local sites located throughout CWA, in order to contribute to the study of the provenance of raw materials, technology, and distribution networks. The results point to a heterogeneous petrographic composition, consistent with a decentralized production model. However, major uniformity in pastes, and a higher correlation with the local geology, is identified in two sectors: the Uspallata Valley and Southern San Juan. Some innovations in production practices (such as grog and volcanic glass inclusions) are also noteworthy, probably in relation to the emergence of new socio-ethnic identities. This information is compared with their archaeological background to contribute to the discussion of the organization of pottery production during the Inca dominance of the state's southern frontier.