Zapotec Economy in Late Classic Jalieza: Through the Lens of Ceramic Annalysis

Summary

The site of Jalieza, during the Late Classic, was the second largest community in the Valley of Oaxaca. But in spite of its position in the regional settlement hierarchy, the position of this site in the regional economic system is largely unknown. To ascertain this, we have examined patterns of ceramic consumption and exchange utilizing three contexts of an elite house, a semi- elite house, and a systematic surface survey to obtain 250 samples of ceramics from household and ritual vessels. Additionally, 10 samples of figurines were also analyzed. Using trace element analysis, we determined the ceramic provenance and utilized this information to identify the trade partners associating with Jalieza. The results of this provenance testing have also been combined with GIS using a travel time-cost analysis to show whether the trade patterns resulted from least cost considerations or political connections or conflicts. Taken as a whole, this study shows a snapshot of the economic and possible political realities influencing trade with Jalieza during the Late Classic.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Mapping out Pottery Production and Exchange in the Late Classic Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

Keywords

Spatial Coverage