The Domestic Economy of El Palmillo

Field Museum Of Natural History, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Gary Feinman and collaborators will continue their decade-long effort to unravel the nature of economic relations and social stratification for the Classic-period (ca. A.D. 200-800) Monte Alban state in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico through the excavation and in-depth study of ancient houses. Two seasons of fieldwork and analysis are planned for the hilltop terrace site of El Palmillo, where a cross-section of houses and their immediate surrounds, positioned on human-made residential terraces, have previously been examined. Prior excavations have illustrated how this elevated site was a long-occupied town (and not a fortress) and how specific households varied in their economic activities and access to a range of local and exotic goods. The six-year investigation at El Palmillo began near the base of the site, exposing domestic units at the lower end of the societal pyramid. Subsequently, the Field Museum team has worked its way up the hill excavating houses in several locations. In 2003, an elaborate palace-like residence was partially exposed at the top of the hill. This long-inhabited and frequently rebuilt residence was associated with a well-made, subsurface, masonry tomb that included individuals who bore the physical manifestations (dental mutilations) of high status. This tomb was one of the most elaborate, intact tombs discovered and excavated outside of the regional center of Monte Alban. Yet the artifactual assemblage from the tomb and this elaborate residence was different, although not markedly so, from what was observed in association with more modest houses below. In addition, unlike lower terraces where stone and fiber working were evidenced, there were no clear vestiges of economic/craft activities in association with this palace-like structure. The current project is aimed at completing the excavation of this palace structure. By exposing a second patio and adjacent rooms of this residence, the excavation endeavors to gain a better understanding of how this household made a living, and also more completely gauge the kinds and quantities of goods and materials that the occupants of this residence had access to. The gathering of these data will permit a fuller and more accurate assessment of similarities and differences in production, consumption, and economic stratification between the residents who lived in this dwelling at the apex of the hill and the inhabitants of other domestic units at the site. At the same time, these data will be compared to house excavations that have been conducted at Monte Alban and other contemporaneous settlements in the Valley of Oaxaca to assess the nature of economic activities and variations in wealth and well-being across the Classic-period Monte Alban polity. This investigation will sharpen our understanding of the economic and status relations that underpinned ancient Monte Alban, one of Mesoamerica's earliest urban centers and longest standing capitals. Extant arguments postulate two- and three-class divisions for Classic-period Oaxaca. Yet socioeconomic distinctions also may have been more multi-dimensional and continuous (rather than stepped). More broadly, this investigation also will help re-focus the archaeological study of ancient states on economic relations, and specifically domestic economies where most pre-industrial production occurred. At the same time, this project will continue its commitment to the training and integration of qualified graduate and undergraduate students. Key findings will be disseminated through a range of public and scientific venues in English and Spanish, including several museum programs that bring science directly and personally from the field to diverse public audiences.