Lithic Production and Consumption at Tzintzuntzan, Mexico

Summary

Tzintzuntzan was the political capital of the Tarascan Empire and home to the royal uacúsecha dynasty during the Late Postclassic period (A.D. 1350-1525). This study presents the technological analysis of 1,155 lithic artifacts recovered during excavations at Tzintzuntzan from 1977 to 1978 and places these findings in context with prior lithic studies based on survey data. The excavation contexts include a palace, storehouse, residential structures, and the five ceremonial Yácatas located on the Grand Platform and a lower elite residence and chapel located to the southeast. The consumption pattern of the Grand Platform is characterized by a high proportion of obsidian blades used for ceremonial display and burial offerings and lower proportions of obsidian scrapers and lapidary objects. The consumption pattern of the lower elite residence is characterized by a higher percentage of green obsidian and greater technological variety. The scales of production in both locations are very low, which indicate that earlier models of lithic production at Tzintzuntzan may require revisions. Finally, the spatial distributions of lapidary tools, preforms, and highly polished fragments in this assemblage suggest that lapidary production was conducted on or nearby the Grand Platform by lower elite members of Tarascan society.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage