When the Cat’s Away: Obsidian at Rio Amarillo Before and After the Collapse of Copan, Honduras

Author(s): Zachary Hruby

Year: 2016

Summary

The architecturally diminutive, but economically robust, Classic Maya polity of Copan must have had an integral role in the production and exchange of Ixtepeque goods; perhaps even control of portions of the source itself. Indeed, after the collapse of the Copan state, Ixtepeque becomes one of the most heavily traded obsidians in the Maya world. This proverbial opening of the floodgates suggests that Copan used Ixtepeque materials primarily for local and regional exchanges, increasing its value interregionally by fixing supply. Recent obsidian analysis at Rio Amarillo, a major subsidiary site of Copan, reveals how smaller local players continued to use Ixtepeque obsidian after the collapse and integrate themselves in the burgeoning international coastal trade in the Terminal and likely the Early Postclassic Periods.

Cite this Record

When the Cat’s Away: Obsidian at Rio Amarillo Before and After the Collapse of Copan, Honduras. Zachary Hruby. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 404394)

Keywords

General
Economics Lithic Maya

Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica

Spatial Coverage

min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.353; max lat: 23.08 ;