Activity Areas and Political Economy at Teotihuacan’s Plaza of the Columns: Investigations in Front E

Summary

Front E of the Project Plaza of the Columns Complex comprises the southern sector of this large civic-administrative complex, located in the heart of Teotihuacan. In initial project planning, its surface topography suggested the presence of open spaces and low structures that could have been used for activities of economic significance and/or as residential spaces for individuals not of high elite rank. Excavations over two seasons in Front E prioritized horizontal exposures in order to assess these possibilities. They confirm the presence of open plazas and residential structures in the south of the front, and larger, decorated structures of likely ceremonial function to the north, defining the central precinct of the Plaza of the Columns. In this paper we review the excavation contexts, architecture, preliminary artifact analysis, and working hypotheses concerning the diverse functions of the area, changes over time, and what both contribute to better understanding the political economy of Teotihuacan. Significant finds include sculptural motifs, elaborate drain features, a large domestic midden, and evidence of intensive obsidian blade use.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20244