Casas Grandes: A Fallen Trading Center of the Gran Chichimeca, Volume 6, Ceramics and Shell
Part of the Casas Grandes: A Fallen Trading Center of the Gran Chichimeca project
Author(s): Charles C. Di Peso; John B. Rinaldo; Gloria J. Fenner
Year: 1974
Summary
The value of ceramic analysis for chronologically organizing a series of unknown cultures in a particular region and of relating some of them synchronically cannot be denied. Unfortunately, this useful tool is sometimes given undue emphasis and is regarded in some instances as representative of the total culture. Such unbridled use is most dangerous because of the complex nature of pottery - its plasticity when formed, its chameleon-like character on firing, its relative abundance in use, and its durability in discarded sherd form. Yet these very factors, among others which make it a sensitive index to cultural shifts, are representative only receptacles were used, and even then pottery does not provide the complete picture.
It is hoped that proper balance was achieved in this discussion of these various interpretive potentials. On the whole, the major aim was to describe the morphological characteristics of the ceramic materials at hand which were forthcoming from the excavated sites. All such data were then derived from the above-mentioned excavated materials with the exception of certain details which pertained to design layouts. In this case, painted vessels study were used to expand the knowledge of the excavated sample. Levels of abstraction in accordance with different bodies of data primarily because of the fact that the excavations produced sherds from both the southwest portion of the United States and the cultures of southern Mexico in a controlled situation. Some of these academic pursuits were fruitful, such as in the case of the study of the suggested preferences of certain pottery types for specialized purposes, i.e., for burial furniture or for cooking, while other approaches, such as a study of rim forms through time, yielded only the most tantalizing and elusive results.
Cite this Record
Casas Grandes: A Fallen Trading Center of the Gran Chichimeca, Volume 6, Ceramics and Shell, 6. Charles C. Di Peso, John B. Rinaldo, Gloria J. Fenner. The Amerind Foundation, Inc. ,9. Flagstaff, Arizona: Northland Press. 1974 ( tDAR id: 448862) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8448862
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Site Type
Archaeological Feature
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Artifact Scatter
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Burial Pit
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Commercial or Industrial Structures
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Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
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Domestic Structures
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Funerary and Burial Structures or Features
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Hearth
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House
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Midden
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Platform Mound
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Post Hole / Post Mold
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Rock Alignment
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Rock Shelter
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Settlements
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Town / City
Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview
Spatial Coverage
min long: -113.774; min lat: 24.798 ; max long: -100.767; max lat: 36.13 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Amerind Museum
Principal Investigator(s): Charles C. Di Peso
Prepared By(s): The Amerind Foundation, Inc.
Record Identifiers
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number(s): 74-82018
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974_DiPesoRinaldoFenner_CasasGrandesV6_OCR_PDFA.pdf | 381.64mb | Jan 1, 1974 | May 21, 2019 3:39:35 PM | Public |