New Data on Rural Pottery Systems from the La Venta Periphery (original) (raw)

Pottery technology, settlement and landscape in Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca, Argentina)

The transition from the Formative to the Late period (c. 1000 BP) on the volcanic plateau of Antofagasta de la Sierra in northern Argentina saw various changes in landscape use and settlement pattern. New power structures and social identities appear in the archaeological record in the wake of an increasing emphasis on cultivation and herding, coincident with a regional shift to greater aridity. The novel analysis reported here reveals that these changes also had an impact on pottery technology, notably vessel thickness, and considers the role of technological innovation as both cause and consequence of the changing world experienced by the inhabitants of Antofagasta de la Sierra.

Epiclassic and Early Postclassic Interaction in Central Mexico As Evidenced by Decorated Pottery

2011

There has been debate and uncertainty on two important issues in the Basin of Mexico: the formation of Epiclassic city-states following Teotihuacan state collapse (ca. A.D. 650), and the nature of the subsequent Early Postclassic Tula state expansion. I evaluate the Basin as a case of regeneration of socio-political complexity using stylistic and compositional pottery analysis to examine patterns of interaction from the Epiclassic (ca. A.D. 600/650-850) through the Early Postclassic (ca. A.D. 850-1150). I selected representative specimens of temporally diagnostic pottery from the three large settlement clusters in the northwestern Basin (Tula and the Zumpango region), the northeastern Basin (Teotihuacan Valley), and the southeastern Basin (Cerro Portezuelo, the Ixtapalapa and Chalco regions) to assess: 1) participation in regional cultural complexes, 2) direct exchange or local production of particular pottery types, 3) regional variation in the production of pottery. For certain time periods, ceramic patterns among smaller settlements clusters were distinguished. The combination of chemical and attribute analysis provided a robust method for identifying regional variation in pottery. Chemical characterization using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used to provide fine-scaled compositional reference groups to assess regional production and exchange. Stylistic and technological attributes were used to define highly visible decorative traditions that were easily copied and low visibility production steps that were learned. Teotihuacan withdrawal from the southeastern Basin prompted reorganization and adoption of a distinctive pottery complex. Epiclassic settlement patterns throughout the Basin were reorganized into nucleated settlement clusters with unoccupied areas between them. Results indicate regional participation in the Coyotlatelco pottery tradition and a strong pattern of consumption of locally produced pottery by settlement cluster.

Early Ceramics and the Origins of Village Life in Lower Central America (1987)

This thesis describes excavations at Formative Period sites on the perimeter of Lake Arenal in eastern Guanacaste, Costa Rica. defines and describes the Early to Middle Formative Tronadora Complex, interprets the nature of the Zoned Bichrome Period in the region. and discusses implications of the new data for interpretations of village life and the emergence of complex society in Greater Nicoya. Archaeological research in the vicinity of Arenal Volcano has revealed evidence for ceramics. dwellings. and possible maize agriculture dating as early as 2000 BC. The associated ceramics fit stylistically within general Early Formative distinct from patterns. However. they are sufficiently distinct from complexes to the north and south to suggest that significant processes of regionalization were occurring early in the prehistory of Lower Central America. Until recently. very little was known about the nature of village life in Costa Rica during the Formative Period (ca. 2000 BC AD 600). Ceramics dating to 2000 BC or earlier had been identified in Panama. Colombia. and Ecuador to the south and Guatemala. Belize. and Mexico to the north. However, little comparative material was known from Costa Rica. The new data from the Arenal region have made it necessary to re-evaluate of existing models for the appearance of the Formative stage in Lower Central America.

Regional Studies and Ceramic Production Areas: An Example from La Mixtequilla, Veracruz, Mexico

Few regional projects in Mesoamerican archaeology have detected ceramic production areas. One project in La Mixtequilla, south-central Veracruz, likewise has provided little direct evidence (eg., overtired wasters) of specialized ceramic production. In this study, some of the reasons for the paucity of wasters are investigated through rehiring experiments. Quantitative survey data are shown to help detect possible Postclassic specialized coma1 (tortilla griddle) production areas, while the results of more intensive investigations can provide insights into the characteristics of such loci. The results are employed to evaluate the degree of specialization of production areas, their relationship with sociopolitical processes (eg.,influences from central Mexican polities), and the implications for integrating Postclassic La Mixtequilla.

Early Agricultural Period Pottery from Las Capas and Los Pozos

Material Cultures and Lifeways of Early Agricultural Communities in Southern Arizona, 2005

"Early Agricultural Period Pottery from Las Capas and Los Pozos" is the definitive treatment of Early Agricultural period incipient plain ware pottery from the Middle Santa Cruz River Valley. A behavioral approach is used in the analysis of 13 sherds recovered from San Pedro phase (ca. 1200 - 800 B.C.) deposits at Las Capas and 41 sherds recovered from late Cienega phase (ca. 400 B.C. - A.D. 50) deposits at Los Pozos. The emergence and development of pottery making in the Tucson Basin from 1200 B.C. to A.D. 700 is reviewed (i.e., during the San Pedro, early and late Cienega, Agua Caliente, and Tortolita phases). The inherent performance characteristics and function of fired clay containers manufactured during those 1,900 years are discussed, as is the iconography of incipient plain ware incised and punctate design. Evidence for an early pan-Southwestern "soft ware" horizon is presented.

Olmec Civilization at San Andrés, Tabasco, México

Abstract The site of San Andrés (Barí 1), located 5 km northeast of the Olmec center of La Venta in Tabasco, México, provides information on a major Middle Formative period polity from the vantage point of a secondary elite site. San Andrés yielded stratified household deposits and undisturbed ritual feasting middens that provide new data on Olmec activities beyond the major center. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc., (FAMSI) provided funding for the study of the Olmec artifacts from San Andrés. This report focuses on the ceramic analysis, which was facilitated by the well-stratified deposits, and on the prestige artifacts, including the evidence for early Olmec writing on greenstone plaques and a ceramic roller stamp. Resumen El sitio de San Andrés (Barí 1), ubicado 5 km al noreste del centro olmeca La Venta en Tabasco, México, provee información sobre un importante estado del periodo Formativo Mediano desde una posición de ventaja de un sitio secundario de la elite. San Andrés produjo depósitos estratificados de unidades domesticas y deshechos de banquetes rituales sin tocar los cuales dan nuevos datos sobre actividades olmecas mas allá del centro mayor. La Fundación para el Avance de los Estudios Mesoamericanos, Inc., (FAMSI) suministró los fondos necesarios para el estudio de los artefactos olmecas provenientes de San Andrés. Esté informe se enfoca en el análisis de la cerámica facilitada por depósitos bien estratificados y en los artefactos de prestigio, incluyendo evidencia de escritura olmeca antigua sobre placas de piedra verde y un sello cilíndrico de cerámica.