Fragments of Identity: A Comparative Study of Terminal Formative Figurines from Coastal Oaxaca, MX

Summary

The Terminal Formative period (150BCE-250CE) in Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico was a time of urbanization and increasing political interaction. The Terminal Formative included the emergence of an urban center at the site of Río Viejo, which may have extended political influence over surrounding communities. During this period, on the coast of Oaxaca, ceramic figurines were a ubiquitous medium for expression and identity in political/cultural exchanges. By comparing ceramic figurines from the site of Rio Viejo, a primary center, to Cerro de la Virgen, a secondary community, relations between these two communities can be better understood. Through both qualitative and quantitative analyses, including INAA, much can be postulated about the manufacture and use of the ceramic figurines. The figurines from both sites have proven to be diverse in their iconography as well as sharing many other aesthetic similarities. With Terminal Formative figurines here some iconographic trends that seem to exist as categories such as anthropomorphic and zoomorphic, which are expressed by a number of well-preserved artifacts. The ceramic figurines have also proven to be diverse in their use: some are musical instruments, some are able to stand, and others were able to be worn.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22455