The Glass of New Spain: Exploring Early Modern Networks through Material Culture

Summary

The arrival of glass in the Americas and its development as a technology in New Spain needs to be understood within the complex global networks that begin to develop during the early modern period as part of trans-oceanic trade. During this time, people, objects, materials, technologies, and ideas traveled around the world like never before. These movements and encounters had a direct impact on craft production as well as in the consumer demands of colonial societies. Understanding material culture within this timeframe requires a broader scope that takes into account these cross-border connections and interactions. This paper aims to situate the transfer of glass technology to the Americas and its development in New Spain within the broader context of the early modern world, emphasizing how the emerging global connections influenced the production of glass as artisans strived to satisfy the demands of the consumers in colonial Mexico and beyond. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Before the Trans-Pacific Partnership: Pacific Coast Ports in the Americas, and Beyond   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 421