Evidence from the Tuxtla Mountains in southern Veracruz suggests that
Teotihuacan established a base at Matacapan, the region's top-ranking
center, sometime during the Early Classic period. This development in
Tuxtlas's prehistory was associated with the founding of Matacapan, a
major shift in settlement pattern, and the presence of substantial amounts
of Fine Buff, a lower fired variant of Fine Orange that resembles Copa
ware, a common Middle Classic-period ceramic service ware at Teotihuacan.
Teotihuacan's influence at Matacapan, as monitored ratios of
candelero- and tripod support to rim sherds, increased markedly in the
succeeding early Middle Classic period but declined in the late Middle
Classic and early Late Classic periods. At the same time,
Teotihuacan's influence extended well into the countryside, where it
was present not only at other large sites, but also at small villages and
hamlets. These developments were associated with changes in the amount and
kind of obsidian traded to the Tuxtlas. The total volume of obsidian
traded to the Tuxtlas in the Middle and Late Classic periods was huge:
from 7.5 to 19.6 metric tons per year. Matacapan had preferred status as
far as the consumption of green obsidian was concerned, and in general,
pre-Hispanic settlements in the Tuxtlas consumed more of this material
than neighboring areas such as La Mixtequilla and the Hueyapan region.
When Teotihuacan declined in importance and its influence throughout
Mesoamerica waned, a much smaller amount of obsidian—in particular,
material from Pachuca—was traded to the Tuxtlas. This is precisely
what we would expect if the Central Mexican city was no longer the
conveyor of obsidian over long distances, and some other
center—perhaps Cantona or El Tajin—replaced Teotihuacan as the
primary distributor of obsidian to southern Veracruz.