Not Only of Obsidian: The Chert Assemblage in Late Postclassic Tlaxcallan

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Tlaxcallan: Mesoamerica's Bizarro World" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Surface survey and excavations of Late Postclassic Tlaxcallan at the site of Tepeticpac recovered various lithic artifacts in addition to the chipped obsidian assemblage. Although the chipped non-obsidian artifacts were far fewer than obsidian artifacts, they were still found throughout the site in both surface domestic and excavated public spaces. Most of the chert recovered comes from Unit 7 on Plaza 4. The varied lithic assemblage at this locality suggests this area represents a public space where some of these items were traded. This presentation will focus on the chert assemblage at Tepeticpac and assess how this industry differed from obsidian chipped stone. More chert manufacture seems to have taken place from earlier stages of reduction than for obsidian, although there are no chert sources close to the site. Given the difference in the type of industry, chert seems to have had a different utility at Tepeticpac, rather than have served as an alternative material for the same uses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Tlaxcallan: Mesoamerica's Bizarro World   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26080