Ceramics from Q’umarkaj: Heritage Collection and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Art, Archaeology, and Science: Investigations in the Guatemala Highlands" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Research on the ceramic collections from Q’umarkaj housed at the Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, provides an opportunity to apply Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis to pottery from the site. This research has the potential to delimit areas of ceramic production and trade in the Terminal Classic - Late Postclassic periods of this famous capital in the K’iche’ area. This paper will review the results of INAA on a sample of 82 monochrome domestic wares, censers and bichrome ceramics representing 9 types identified by John Weeks at Chisalin. Study of the elite pottery published by John W. Fox et al. in 1992 from a central sector of the site, has started with INAA analysis of a single Tohil-like vessel whose chemistry does not match the Soconusco region. Museum research at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Guatemala has found almost all of the vessels from the cache of broken vessels from Q’umarkaj. Eventually research will evaluate the Fox thesis that these vessels date to an Epiclassic-Early Postclassic migratory period tied to the founding of Q’umarkaj and the identification and iconography of the vessels.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Art, Archaeology, and Science: Investigations in the Guatemala Highlands

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23137