Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Utilitarian Plainware Ceramic Production and Exchange and the Evolution of Market Systems in the Basin of Mexico, A.D. 1200-1650

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Under the supervision of Drs. George Cowgill and Barbara Stark, Christopher Garraty will analyze Aztec period and Early Colonial ceramic data from archaeological sites located throughout the Basin of Mexico, focusing specifically on non-decorated plainware pottery. Mr. Garraty's research will address the structure and evolution of the Aztec market economy in the Basin-the heartland of Aztec civilization, in the vicinity of modern-day Mexico City-from ca. A.D. 1200-1650. This span encompasses the period prior to and during the Aztec empire and the subsequent Early Colonial period following the Spanish conquest in 1519. Archaeologists have studied Aztec decorated pottery to reconstruct pottery production and market exchange, but far less research has concentrated on the more-abundant plainwares. Decorated pottery was in effect the "fine China" of Aztec society, proudly displayed at feasts and communal ceremonies. In contrast, plainwares were mainly used for everyday household tasks such as cooking and storage and were probably perceived as distinct market commodities from decorated pottery. Plainwares provide an independent line of archaeological evidence for reconstructing patterns of pottery exchange, allowing for a more comprehensive empirical basis for interpreting the structure of the Aztec market economy and how it changed through time. A notable strength of this study is the time span it encompasses, which will afford new insights into the impact of Aztec and Spanish imperialism on local and regional economies and on household-level economic decision-making. Mr. Garraty's methodology includes standardization analyses and clay source ascriptions. Standardization analyses measure the degree of variability of ceramic vessel attributes, such as vessel form, paste, and surface-treatment. High levels of standardization, for example, suggest a small number of large-scale manufacturers serving a large number of consumers. Standardization analyses of several thousand ceramic rim sherds will help illuminate the scale and organization of Aztec pottery production through comparisons of the better-known decorated data against the plainware data. Mr. Garraty will also draw on Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) data from ca. 500 plainware ceramic specimens. INAA extracts the chemical composition of ceramic clay pastes and can be used to ascribe approximate locations of the clay sources used to manufacture the ceramic specimens. INAA data can thus be used to track ancient patterns of pottery exchange and roughly demarcate spheres of commodity circulation. In addition to these scientific research questions, this project will contribute broadly to the public understanding of archaeology and history. The models and methods used for this research will be disseminated broadly through publications, presentations at scholarly conferences, and other public forums, including webpage development. This project will provide hands-on training in a variety of scientific analyses that will assist Mr. Garraty in his graduate student training. In pursuing this project, Mr. Garraty has established close professional relationships with Mexican and U.S. archaeologists and with officials of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico. The project will also stand as a foundation for future graduate and undergraduate student research, and the data will be made available for future researchers. The methods used for this study, if successful, can stand as a model for similar research on utilitarian commodity exchange and market economies.