Mesoamerican copper metallurgy emerged in West Mexico sometime between A.D. 600 and 800. Over a period of approximately 900 years a wide variety of artifacts, typically decorations and other valuable non-utilitarian goods, were produced. By A.D. 1450, the Tarascan kingdom in the state of Michoacan had become the most important center of pre-Hispanic metalworking. Metallurgy played a significant role in the structure of political and economic power in the Tarascan Empire. Metal adornments used as insignia of social status and public ritual became even more associated with political power. While metal was used for an array of goods, virtually nothing is known about the manufacture and the organization of production of this material. Archaeological research at the site of Itziparátzico, near the modern Tarascan community of Santa Clara del Cobre, has recently located potential production areas where concentrations of smelting slag were recorded.

The smelting of ores is almost invariably related to the formation of slags, which form from the various impurities introduced into the smelting process, such as gangue minerals, furnace wall material, and fuel ash. Slag analysis thus has the potential for revealing important information about metallurgical technology. Copper smelting slag recovered from the excavations at Itziparátzico has been analyzed for microstructure and compositional properties using light microscopy, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry (SEM/EDS). Preliminary results indicate a smelting technology that used sulfidic ores and highly efficient furnaces. While further archaeological investigations are required to precisely date these activities, this technological information is important for establishing the context and scale of production of copper at the site.