Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Early Postclassic Period Households At Rio Viejo, Oaxaca, Mexico

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This research examines household social organization and economic activities at the Early Postclassic (A.D. 800-1100) site of Rio Viejo in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, through a meticulous examination of micro-residues. The project not only serves as one of the first major studies of Early Postclassic period households in Oaxaca, but should also prove useful for archaeologists working in other regions and other parts of the world who are interested in applying micro-scale methods to household research. Household archaeology conventionally uses architecture, burials, and artifacts to reconstruct domestic activities. But artifacts present problems for understanding household activities, because they are normally recovered in trash deposits or fill, potentially far removed from where they were used. Micro-residues, including microscopic plant remains, fine-scale changes in soil deposition, and chemical residues of organic debris, in contrast, are less likely to have traveled from their locations of use. The techniques of paleoethnobotany, micromorphology, and soil chemistry detect food processing and cooking activities, which are important because sharing food often defines membership in household social groups. At Rio Viejo, excavations of twelve buildings in two neighborhoods of modest, single-roomed houses revealed similarities in artifacts and architecture that suggest "commoner" status, yet burial practices and other features differ in each area. The research will address questions about similarities and differences in the organization of domestic activities that traditional data alone cannot answer. Uniformity in artifacts and architecture could mask real differences between the two areas, and the distribution of food-related activities might better reflect household divisions than the buildings themselves. Also, since productive activities in residential settings are linked with larger-scale political and economic goals, this project will consider how Rio Viejo's Early Postclassic occupants cooperated economically within a newly reconceived political framework following the "collapse" of urban centers.