Classifying Classic Period Ceramics from Azcapotzalco: A Comparison of INAA and Petrography

Summary

This pilot project used petrographic analysis to examine fifteen Classic Period sherds from the site of Azcapotzalco, Distrito Federal, Mexico. These sherds had already undergone instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), which separated the sherds into two chemical groups--Azcapotzalco-B and Tenochtitlan--and left one-third of the sherds unassigned. This project aimed to compare the INAA results with results obtained through the visual analysis of the microstructure of the sherds and determine how the two methods relate to each other. Additionally, the project attempted to determine whether these large chemical groups could be segmented into subgroups using visual analysis and to attempt to connect the fabric of the unassigned sherds with the fabric of sherds that had been assigned to a chemical group. Three fabric groups, two with variants, were created through a visual analysis of the microstructure of the sherds, only one of which corresponded fully with its chemical group assignments. This project has broader implications for pottery production at Classic Period Azcapotzalco and trade throughout the Basin of Mexico in the Classic Period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage