The Periphery Gold Production Areas of Oaxaca: Tradition and Distinctiveness

Summary

In no other part of Mexico have been found so many gold objects as in Oaxaca. The Mixtecs and Zapotecs from central Oaxaca created amazing pieces with such great mastery as well as in the aesthetic and technological aspects. The Oaxaca artisans worked principally with gold and silver. The mineral needed in order to make these objects was relatively abundant in Oaxaca. Nevertheless, outside the realm of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and the Mixtec area, mineral resources existed in most of the state and many groups created metal objects. One of these areas is the northern sierra of Oaxaca. The goal of this paper is to discuss how the Zapotecs and Chinantecs of Northern Sierra adopted and developed a different metal tradition, specially focused on the creation of elite gold objects. Another aspect that will be considered is the different characteristics of the geology of the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Ancient Metallurgy in Mesoamerica: Local Expression and Interregional Connections

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14596