Chupadero Black-on-white: Communities of Practice, Identity, and Memory

Summary

Since the beginning of archeological research, style has been used to characterize and define numerous aspects of social interaction and complexity, including communities of practice which structure ways in which elements of material culture are transmitted. The persistent transmission of knowledge through time and space implies a long lived community of practice. Chupadero Black-on-white, produced in central and southeast New Mexico, was possibly the longest lived of all the Black-on-white wares and the most extensively exchanged. Yet for all of its longevity and ubiquity in the Southwest, the design style, based on morphology and painted decoration remain constant. In this research, I conduct an attribute analysis of decorative design and morphology of Chupadero in order to assess to what degree, if any, change in style occurs. I explore the geographic dimensions of this long-term production and the long-distance exchange of Chupadero Black-on-white. I then discuss the communities of practice, collective memory, and the communities of identity implied by this long term production, which started in the late Pueblo II period. Finally, I discuss the implications of the production of this ware in the context of exchange in the greater Southwest.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16521