Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T00:15:43.062Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

In the Aftermath of Teotihuacan: Epiclassic Pottery Production and Distribution in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Destiny Crider ,
Deborah L. Nichols ,
Hector Neff  and
Michael D. Glascock
Destiny Crider
Affiliation:
School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University, PO Box 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287-2402
Deborah L. Nichols
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 6047 Silsby Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755
Hector Neff
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840
Michael D. Glascock
Affiliation:
Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Despite the political fragmentation of Central Mexico following the breakup of the Teotihuacan state, the Epiclassic Coyotlatelco ceramic style was widespread in the Basin of Mexico and adjoining areas. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was used to determine sources of Coyotlatleco pottery from Teotihuacan in collections made by the Teotihuacan Mapping Project and from rural sites in the Teotihuacan Valley. A sample of Mazapan, Early Postclassic pottery from rural sites also was analyzed. The INAA results indicate that most Coyotlatelco serving vessels consumed at Teotihuacan and in rural villages in the Teotihuacan Valley were locally made with few imports from elsewhere in the Basin. Following the decline of the Teotihuacan state Epiclassic polities in the Basin of Mexico had an “inward” economic orientation. During the Early Postclassic rural villagers continue to mostly consume locally made Mazapan pottery. We discuss implications of these findings for models of the Postclassic political economy and the Classic to Postclassic transition.

Resumen

Resumen

A pesar de la fragmentación política del Centro de México que sobrevino a la desintegración del estado Teotihuacano, el estilo cerámico Coyotlatelco del Epiclásico se mantuvo disperso en la Cuenca de México y en sus áreas aledañas. El análisis instrumental de activación neutrónica de fragmentos de cerámica Coyotlatelco indica que la mayoría de las vasijas de servicio consumidas en Teotihuacan y en las aldeas rurales del Valle de Teotihuacan fueron hechas localmente y que hubo pocos ejemplares importados de otros lugares dentro de la Cuenca. Estos hallazgos están basados en 103 muestras de tiestos de cerámica del Epiclásico provenientes de las colecciones del Teotihuacan Mapping Project dirigido por René Millon, y del Teotihuacan Valley Settlement Project dirigido por William T. Sanders. Los resultados de 68 muestras de cerámica adicionales indican que esta tendencia continúa durante el Postclásico Temprano en los sitios rurales del valle de Teotihuacan. El patrón que muestra productos cerámicos localmente manufacturados y consumidos es consistente con los recientes hallazgos de otros sitios de la Cuenca de México (específicamente Chalco y Cerro Portezuelo). Estos hallazgos demuestran que la amplia distribución de cerámicas decoradas del Epiclásico y algunas del Postclásico Temprano no se debió al dominio de un centro de producción único en la Cuenca de México.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , June 2007 , pp. 123 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Alden, John R. 1979 A Reconstruction of Toltec Period Political Units in the Valley of Mexico. In Transformations: Mathematical Approaches to Culture Change, edited by Colin Renfrew and Kenneth L. Cooke, pp. 169–200. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Beekman, Christopher S., and Christensen, Alexander F. 2003 Controlling for Doubt and Uncertainty Through Multiple Lines of Evidence: A New Look at the Mesoamerican Nahua Migrations. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 10:111–164.Google Scholar
Blanton, Richard E., Feinman, Gary M., Kowalewski, Stephen A., and Peregrine, Peter N. 1996 A Dual Process Theory for the Evolution of Mesoamerican Civilization. Current Anthropology 37:1–14.Google Scholar
Blanton, Richard E., Kowalewski, Stephen A., Feinman, Gary M., and Finsten, Laura M. 1993 Ancient Mesoamerica: A Comparison of Change in Three Regions. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Bonfil Olivera, A. 2005 Cultura y contexto: el comportamiento de un sitio del Epiclásico en la region de Tula. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centra de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 227–260. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Mexico, D.F. Google Scholar
Brambila Paz, R., and Crespo, A. M. 2005 Desplazamientos de poblaciones y creación de territories en el Bajío. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 155–174. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D.F. Google Scholar
Braniff, Beatriz 2005 Los chichimecas a la caída de Teotihuacan y durante la conformatión de la Tula de Hidalgo. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 45–56 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D.F. Google Scholar
Brumfiel, Elizabeth M. 2005 Opting In and Opting Out: Tula, Cholula and Xaltocan. In Settlement, Subsistence, and Social Complexity: Essays Honoring the Legacy of Jeffrey R. Parsons, edited by Richard E. Blanton, pp. 63–88. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Carballo, David Manuel 2005 State Political Authority and Obsidian Craft Production at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan, Mexico. Ph.D. Dissertation. Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Charlton, Thomas H. 1994 Economic Heterogeneity and State Expansion: The Northeastern Basin of Mexico during the Late Postclassic Period. In Economies and Polities in the Aztec Realm, edited by Mary G. Hodge and Michael E. Smith, pp. 221–256. Institute for Mesoamerican Studies, SUNY-Albany.Google Scholar
Charlton, Thomas H., Neff, Hector, Deborah, L. Nichols, Charlton, Cynthia Otis, and Glascock, Michael D. 1999 Household, City-State, and Regional Production, Distribution, and Consumption: the Central and Northern Basin of Mexico. Paper presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Chicago.Google Scholar
Charlton, Thomas H., and Nichols, Deborah L. 1997 Diachronic Studies of City-States: Permutations on a Theme—Central Mexico from 1700 BC to AD 1600. In The Archaeology of City-States: Cross Cultural Approaches, edited by Deborah L. Nichols and Thomas H. Charlton, pp. 169–208. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Charlton, Thomas H., Nichols, Deborah L., and Charlton, Cynthia Otis 2000 Otumba and Its Neighbors: Ex Oriente Lux . Ancient Mesoamerica 11:247–267.Google Scholar
Charlton, Thomas H., and Spence, Michael W. 1983 Obsidian Exploitation and Civilization in the Basin of Mexico. In Mining and Mining Techniques in Ancient Mesoamerica, edited by Phillip G. Weigand and Gretchen Gwynne, pp. 7–86. SUNY-Stony Brook.Google Scholar
Clayton, Sarah 2005 Interregional Relationships in Mesoamerica: Interpreting Maya Ceramics at Teotihuacan. Latin American Antiquity 16:427–448.Google Scholar
Cobean, Robert H. 1990 La Cerámica de Tula Hidalgo. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México, D.F. Google Scholar
Cobean, Robert H., and Mastache, Alba Guadalupe 1989 The Late Classic and Early Postclassic Chronology of the Tula Region. In Tula of the Toltecs: Excavation and Survey, edited by Dan. M. Healan, pp. 34–48. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City.Google Scholar
Cowgill, George L. 1996 A Reconsideration of the Postclassic Chronology of Central Mexico. Ancient Mesoamerica 7:325–331.Google Scholar
Crider, Destiny 2001 Technological and Stylistic Considerations of Epiclassic Red-on-buff Pottery. Paper presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 18–22, New Orleans.Google Scholar
Crider, Destiny 2002a Coyotlatelco Phase Community Structure at Teotihuacan. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, Tempe.Google Scholar
Crider, Destiny 2002b The Problem of Transition from Classic to Epiclassic Teotihuacan. Paper presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Denver.Google Scholar
Cyphers, Ann 2000 Cultural Identity and Interregional Interaction during the Gobernador Phase: A Ceramic Perspective. In The Xochicalco Mapping Project, edited by Kenneth Hirth, pp. 11–16. Archaeological Research at Xochicalco Vol. 2. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Diehl, Richard A. 1989 A Shadow of Its Former Self: Teotihuacan during the Coyotlatelco Period. In Mesoamerica After the Decline of Teotihuacan, A.D. 700–900, edited by Richard A. Diehl and Janet C. Berlo, pp. 9–18. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar
Evans, Susan T. 1986 Analysis of the Surface Sample Ceramics. In The Teotihuacan Valley Project, Final Report, Volume 4: The Toltec Period Occupation, edited by William T. Sanders, pp. 283–365. Occasional Papers in Anthropology No. 13. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.Google Scholar
Gamboa, C. Luis Miguel 1998 La distribución de la cerámica Coyotlatelco en el Valle de Teotihuacan. Unpublished Tesis de Licenciada en Arqueología, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia. México, D.F. Google Scholar
García Chavez, Raul E. 1991 Desarrollo cultural en Azcapotzalco ye el area suroccidental de la Cuenca de México, desde el Preclasico Medio hasta el Epiclásico. Unpublished Tesis de Licenciado, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México, D.F. Google Scholar
García Chavez, Raul E. 2004 De Tula a Azcapotzalco: caracterizatión arqueológica de los Altepetl de la Cuenca de México del Posclásico Temprano y Medio, a travéz del studio cerámico regional. Unpublished Tesis doctoral, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. Google Scholar
Glascock, Michael D. 1992 Characterization of Archaeological Ceramics at MURR by Neutron Activation Analysis and Multivariate Statistics. In Chemical Characterization of Ceramic Pastes in Archaeology, edited by Hector Neff, pp. 11–26. Monographs in World Archaeology No. 7. Prehistory Press, Madison.Google Scholar
Healan, Dan M. 1997 Pre-Hispanic Quarrying in the Ucareo-Zinapecuaro Obsidian Source Area. Ancient Mesoamerica 8:77–100.Google Scholar
Nicholson, Hicks, and Frederic, H. B. 1964 The Transition from Classic to Postclassic at Cerro Portezuelo. Actus y Memorias del XXXV Congreso International de Americanistas, México 1962. Vol. 1:493–506.Google Scholar
Hirth, Kenneth G. 1998 The Distributional Approach: A New Way to Identify Marketplace Exchange in the Archaeological Record. Current Anthropology 39:451–476.Google Scholar
Hirth, Kenneth G., and Guillen, Ann Cyphers 1988 Tiempo y Asentamiento en Xochicalco. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. Google Scholar
López Pérez, Claudia M. 2003 Análisis cerámico de las areas de actividad el la “Cueva de las Varillas,” Teotihuacan. Unpublished Tesis de Licenciada en Arqueología, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia. México, D.F.Google Scholar
López Pérez, Claudia M, and Careta, Claudia Nicolás 2005 La cerámica de traditión norteña en el valle de Teotihuacan duante el Epiclásico y el Posclásico temprano. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 275–286. Universidad Nacional Autóde México Institute de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D. F.Google Scholar
Ma, Marina K.S. 2003 Examining Prehispanic Ceramic Exchange in the Basin of Mexico—A Chemical Source Analysis from Azcapotzalco. Unpublished senior honors thesis in Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover.Google Scholar
Manzanilla, Linda 2005 Migrantes epiclásicos en Teotihuacan. Propuesta metodológica para análisis de migraciones del Clásico al Posclásico. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 261–274. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Institute de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Manzanilla, Linda, and López, Claudia 1998 Ocupación Coyotlatelco de túneles al este de la Pirámide del Sol en Teotihuacan. In Antropología e historia del occidente de Mé: XXIV Mesa Redonda, Vol. 3. Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología, México, D.F. pp. 1611–1627.Google Scholar
Manzanilla, Linda, López, Claudia, and Freter, Anne, 1996 Dating Results from Excavations in the Quarry Tunnels Behind the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. Ancient Mesoamerica 7: 245–266.Google Scholar
Marcus, Joyce 1992 Political Fluctuations in Mesoamerica: Cycles of Mesoamerican States. National Geographic Research & Exploration 8:392–411.Google Scholar
Marcus, Joyce 1998 The Peaks and Valleys of Ancient States: An Extension of the Dynamic Model, in Archaic States, edited by Gary M. Feinman, and Joyce Marcus, pp. 59–94. School of American Research, Santa Fe.Google Scholar
Mastache, Alba Guadelupe, and Cobean, Robert H. 1989 The Coyotlatelco Culture and the Origins of the Toltec State. In Mesoamerica After the Decline of Teotihuacan, edited by Richard A. Diehl and Janet C. Berlo, pp. 49–68. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Mastache, Alba Guadalupe, Cobean, Robert H., and Healan, Dan 2002 Ancient Tollan: Tula and the Toltec Heartland. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.Google Scholar
Moragas Segura, Natalia 2005 Sobreviviendo al colapso: teotihuacanos y coyotlatelcos en Teotihuacan. Revista Española de Antropología Americana 35: 33–50.Google Scholar
Neff, Hector 2000 Neutron Activation Analysis for Provenance Determination in Archaeology. In Modern Analytical Methods in Art and Archaeology, edited by Enrico Ciliberto and Giuseppe Spoto, pp. 81–134. John Wiley and Sons, New York.Google Scholar
Neff, Hector, and Glascock, Michael D. 1998 Variation in Ceramic Raw Materials from the Basin of Mexico and Adjacent Regions. Manuscript on file, Missouri University Research Reactor, University of Missouri, Columbia.Google Scholar
Neff, Hector, and Glascock, Michael D. 2000 Provenance Analysis of Aztec Period Ceramics from the Basin of Mexico. Manuscript on file, Missouri University Research Reactor, University of Missouri, Columbia.Google Scholar
Neff, Hector, Glascock, Michael D., Charlton, Thomas H., Charlton, Cynthia Otis, and Nichols, Deborah L. 2000 Provenance Investigation of Ceramics and Obsidian from Otumba. Ancient Mesoamerica 11:307–322.Google Scholar
Nelson, Ben A. and Crider, Destiny 2005 Posibles pasajes migratorios en el norte de méxico y el suroeste de los Estados Unidos Durante el Epiclásico y el Postclásico. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 75–102. Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Nichols, Deborah L., Brumfiel, Elizabeth M., Neff, Hector, Hodge, Mary, Charlton, Thomas H. and Glascock, Michael D. 2002 Neutrons, Markets, Cities, and Empires; A1000-Year Perspective on Ceramic Production and Distribution in the Postclassic Basin of Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 21:25–82.Google Scholar
Nichols, Deborah, L., and Charlton, Thomas H. 1996 The Postclassic Occupation at Otumba: A Chronological Assessment. Ancient Mesoamerica 7:231–244.Google Scholar
Nichols, Deborah, L., and Charlton, Thomas H. 2002 Processes of Aztec State Formation in the Northeastern Basin of Mexico: Materials Analysis. Final Report to the National Science Foundation. Manuscript on file, Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College and University of Iowa, Hanover and Iowa City.Google Scholar
Nichols, Deborah L., and McCullough, John 1986 Excavations at Xometla (TT–21). In The Teotihuacan Valley Project–Final Report Vol. IV: The Toltec Occupation of the Valley, edited by William T. Sanders, pp. 53–194. Occasional Papers in Anthropology 13. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.Google Scholar
Nicolás Careta, Claudia 2003 Análisis cerámico del la Cueva del Pirul: Transitión entre el complejo Coyotlatelco y el complejo Mazapa en Teotihuacan. Unpublished Tesis de Licenciada en Arqueología, Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia. México D.F.Google Scholar
Ontalba Salamanca, M.A, Ruvalcaba-Sil, J. L., Bucio, L., Manzanilla, L., and Miranda, J. 2000 Ion Bean Analysis of Pottery from Teotihuacan, Mexico. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 161–163:762–768.Google Scholar
Ortega Cabrera, Veronica 1998 Precencia Coyotlatelco en la Ventilla, Teotihuacan. In Antropología e Historia del Occidente de Míxico Volume 3. XXIV Mesa Redonda. pp. 1561–1571. Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Ossa, Alanna, and Crider, Destiny 2005 The Eternal City, Exploring Civic Identity of Rome and Teotihuacan. Paper presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, March 30–April 3, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Paredes Gudiño, Blanca 1998 Evidencias de ocupación del periodo Coyotlatelco en la zona arqueolólogica de Tula Hidalgo. In Antropología e Historia del Occidente de México Volume 3. XXIV Mesa Redonda. pp. 1628–1644. Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Paredes Gudiño, Blanca 2005 Análisis de flujos migratorios y compositión multiétnica de la población de Tula, Hgo. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 203–226. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Parsons, Jeffrey R. 1971 Prehistoric Settlement Patters in the Texcoco Region, Mexico. Museum of Anthropology Memoir No. 3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Parsons, Jeffrey R., Brumfiel, Elizabeth M., and Hodge, Mary 1996 Earlier Dates for Early Aztec in the Basin of Mexico. Ancient Mesoamerica 7:217–230.Google Scholar
Parsons, Jeffrey R., Brumfiel, Elizabeth, Parsons, Mary H., and Wilson, David J 1982 Prehispanic Settlement Patterns in the Southern Valley of Mexico: The Chalco-Xochimilco Region. Museum of Anthropology Memoir 14. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Pastrana, Alejandro 1998 La explotación Aztec de la obsidiana en la Sierra de las Navajas. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 1966 An Archeological and Stylistic Study of Coyotlatelco Pottery. Mesoamerican Notes 7–8:87–211.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 1981 La industria de la obsidian durante el período Coyotlatelco. Revista Mexican de Estudios Antropológicos 27:213–223.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 1987 La productión y la distributión de obsidiana en el período Coyotlatelco en Teotihuacan. In Teotihuacan: Nuevos datos, Nuevas síntesis, Nuevos problemas, edited by Emily McClung de Tapia and Evelyn C. Rattray, pp. 451–464. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 1996 A Regional Perspective on the Epiclassic Period in Central Mexico. In Arquealogía Mesoamericana: Homenaje a William T. Sanders, edited by Alba Guadalupe Mastache, Jeffrey R. Parsons, Robert S. Santley, and Mari Carmen Serra Puche, pp. 213–231. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 1998 El período Epiclásico en México central: una perspectiva regional. In Antropología e Historia del Occidente de México Volume 3. XXIV Mesa Redonda. pp. 1645–1670. Sociedad Mexicana de Antropología, Universidad National Autónoma de México, México, D.F.Google Scholar
Rattray, Evelyn C. 2001 Teotihuacan: Ceramics, chronology and cultural trends. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia/University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.Google Scholar
Ruvalcaba-Sil, José Luis, Ontalba Salamanca, Maria Angeles, Manzanilla, Linda, Miranda, Javier, Ortega, Jacqueline Cañetas, and López, Claudia 1999 Characterization of pre-Hispanic pottery from Teotihuacan, Mexico, by a combined PIXE-RBS and XRD analysis. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 150:591–596.Google Scholar
Sanders, William T. 1986 Ceramic Chronology. The Teotihuacan Valley Project. Final Report, Volume 4: The Toltec Period Occupation, edited by William T. Sanders, pp. 367–373. Occasional Papers in Anthropology No. 13. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.Google Scholar
Sanders, William T. 2002 Late Xolalpan-Metepec/Oxtotipac Ethnic Succession or Changing Patterns of Political Economy: A Reevaluation. Paper presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Denver.Google Scholar
Sanders, William T., Parsons, Jeffrey, and Santley, Robert S. 1979 The Basin of Mexico: Ecological Process in the Evolution of a Civilization. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Sugiura, Yoko 2005 Reacomodo demográfico y conformatión multiétnica en el valle de Toluca durante el Posclásico: una propuesta desde la arqueología. In Reacomodos demográficos del Clásico al Posclásico en el centro de México, edited by Linda Manzanilla, pp. 175–202. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, México, D. F.Google Scholar
Whalen, Michael E., and Parsons, Jeffrey R. 1982 Ceramic Markers Used for Period Designations. In Prehispanic Settlement Patterns in the Southern Valley of Mexico: The Chalco-Xochimilco Region, edited by Jeffrey R. Parsons, Elizabeth M. Brumfiel, Mary H. Parsons, and David J. Wilson, pp. 385–460. Museum of Anthropology Memoir No. 14. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar