Comparative Approaches to Postclassic Mesoamerican Ceramics

The ability to compare data sets is vital for establishing frameworks for understanding human behavior within and between sites and time periods. Ceramic data sets can be difficult to compare because of differing classification schemes and sampling procedures. Importantly, however, ceramic production and consumption influence and are influenced by multiple aspects of human societies, including resource procurement and availability, political economy, and social status. In this session, we bring together scholars working on ceramic artifacts during the Postclassic period (AD 1000-1521) in central and western Mesoamerica to highlight research in comparative studies. The Postclassic in this region experienced widespread political changes, including the development and consolidation of the Aztec and Purépecha Empires, and distinctive ceramic traditions associated with the multiple social groups within these empires. The papers here present ongoing intra-site, inter-site, regional, and temporal approaches to studying Postclassic ceramics. This session contributes to an ongoing dialogue on how we can compare ceramics and the complex links between changing regional and local politics and production.