Toward a Comparative Approach: Postclassic (AD 900-1521) Ceramics from the Pátzcuaro and Zacapu Basins, Michoacán, Mexico

Summary

Research on the Purépecha Empire (AD 1350-1521) in western Mexico has traditionally focused on elite activities after imperial formation. Consequently, there is limited information about the mechanisms for imperial development and changes in internal social, political, and economic structures that must have occurred in pre-imperial contexts. Study of artifact production is particularly important for understanding political reorganization strategies because producers and consumers may have been susceptible to state directives. This presentation compares recently excavated ceramic material from Angamuco in the Pátzcuaro Basin and the Malpaís Prieto in the Zacapu Basin, Michoacán dating to the Middle to Late Postclassic periods (AD 1200-1521). Comparison of changes in pottery form and style highlight similarities and differences in manufacturing, decoration, and consumption practices at these two important urban centers before and during the formation of the Purépecha Empire. Ultimately we seek to establish a comparative approach for studying ceramics in the Pátzcuaro and Zacapu Basins, two regions with a long history of occupation in western Mexico.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Comparative Approaches to Postclassic Mesoamerican Ceramics

Keywords

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