Obsidian Exploitation and Access in the Eastern Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico

Author(s): Gabriela Montero; Nathan Wilson; Lourdes Budar

Year: 2018

Summary

In this paper, we present the results of technological and visual sourcing analyses of over 1000 obsidian artifacts collected by the Proyecto Arqueológico Piedra Labrada (PiLab), directed by Dr. Lourdes Budar. The PiLab area of study, the eastern Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico, includes the eastern flanks of the Sierra de Santa Marta and the adjacent coastal plain along the Gulf of Mexico, and has a long sequence of Prehispanic occupation. Despite this, and almost a decade of regional survey and targeted excavation by PiLab, relatively low quantities of obsidian artifacts have been recovered within the study area. In our analyses of obsidian exploitation, we focus on evaluating both the overall quantities of obsidian artifacts recovered and their specific uses. Our results suggest that access to imported obsidian was rather limited throughout most of the region of study.

Cite this Record

Obsidian Exploitation and Access in the Eastern Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. Gabriela Montero, Nathan Wilson, Lourdes Budar. Presented at The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC. 2018 ( tDAR id: 445022)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -98.987; min lat: 17.77 ; max long: -86.858; max lat: 25.839 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21783