Ethnoarchaeology of Glassblowing in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico

Summary

Blown glass is produced today in Jalisco, Mexico, in places that have a longstanding glass-working tradition. Many parts of the process are done in a traditional way even though some technological innovations, like the use of gas kilns, have been implemented. During the summer of 2015 an ethnoarchaeological project was carried out in the towns of Tonalá and Tlaquepaque, located in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Jalisco, the main center of traditional glassblowing in Mexico today. The research was focused on learning about the technology and the organization of production in order to understand how the technology of glassblowing, which was introduced to Mexico during the colonial period, developed into the present day tradition. Historical research conducted at Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City provided information to place the glassblowing tradition in historical context. The research also served to gain insights useful in the analysis and interpretation of archaeological glass collections and the remains of glass workshops in the archaeological record.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

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