Characterization of Local and Aztec Rule at Calixtlahuaca

Summary

The Aztec Empire has been characterized as both an example of relatively indirect rule and as a case of relatively collective rule, positions which are least superficially opposed. In this paper, I use ceramic data (INAA, petrography, and type classification) from multiple contemporaneous households at the provincial capital of Calixtlahuaca in the Toluca Valley to evaluate these two positions. I compare data from the time periods during which the site was under local rule and when it was incorporated into the Aztec Empire. I find that the preexisting local rule was likely relatively collective. Aztec imperial rule, while relatively indirect, did result in some reduction in the collectiveness of rule. This study illustrates the importance of separating local governance traditions from imperial rulership strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Local Responses to Regional Integration in Postclassic Mesoamerica

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16334