Doctoral Dissertation Research: Intraregional Interaction and Long-Distance Exchange: Examining the Social Contexts of Chupadero Black-on-white Pottery Production and Distribution

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The organization of regional economic and political systems has long been a major theme of archaeological study in the prehistoric American Southwest. Anthropologists have often relied upon ceramic production and exchange data to explore economic and social relations in precapitalist societies. Much of this work has traditionally focused on understanding the organization of a single component (production or exchange) of a regional economic system. A number of researchers have argued, however, that the analysis of these components must be integrated in order to more fully explore the social dimensions of economies. They maintain that it is through the examination of the connection between production and exchange that broader economic and social issues can be addressed. Tiffany Clark's dissertation research will explore the relationship between ceramic production and exchange in two regions of central New Mexico during the early Pueblo IV period (AD 1200/1250-1450). This study will focus on Chupadero Black-on-white pottery, one of the most widely distributed ceramic types in the prehistoric American Southwest. Chupadero ceramics are found throughout central and southern New Mexico and in adjacent parts of Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. This integrative research will evaluate the organization of production systems across different scales of long-distance trade. Chupadero is particularly well suited for this type of comparative analysis as it was produced by pottery specialists in only two areas of central New Mexico - the Salinas and Sierra Blanca regions. In addition, substantial differences exist in the scale of Chupadero production, distribution, and consumption between the two producing regions. The existence of these different economic systems provides a unique opportunity to evaluate different types of specialized production and exchange systems using a single ceramic commodity. To explore the relationship between production and exchange in early Pueblo IV regional economy, Ms. Clark will undertake a series of interrelated and complementary analyses. Using data from chemical and geological analyses, the location and intensity of Chupadero pottery production will be assessed for the Salinas and Sierra Blanca regions. In addition, chemical data will be used to examine the movement of pottery to consumers, as well as to evaluate the strength of local and long-distance trade relations. Conclusions regarding production and exchange patterns will then be used in conjunction with information from a study of ceramic designs to explore the networks of social relations that were present in prehistoric central New Mexico. The proposed study constitutes a detailed examination of the regional economic systems in which Chupadero Black-on-white pottery was produced and exchanged. The significance of this project lies in its holistic approach to economy, rigorous methodology incorporating two powerful analytical techniques, and use of an ideal archaeological case study. As such, the results of this study will add to a growing body of anthropological literature focusing on the organization of regional economic and social systems in the prehistoric American Southwest. Furthermore, this project will also contribute to our general understanding of the roles that production and exchange play in the development and maintenance of the economic and social relations in precapitalist societies.