Crafting Chert Commodities at Santa Cruz, Yucatan, Mexico

Author(s): J. Gregory Smith; Alejandra Alonso Olvera

Year: 2023

Summary

This is an abstract from the "An Exchange of Ideas: Recent Research on Maya Commodities" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper discusses chert crafting at the site of Santa Cruz in northern Yucatan. Santa Cruz was a small town located only about 25 km from both Chichen Itza and Ek Balam and occupied almost exclusively during the Late/Terminal Classic period when both these cities were at their height. Surface collections in 2017 and test-pitting in 2022 has resulted in the documentation of chert crafting at discrete locations at Santa Cruz. An analysis of the chert assemblage has revealed abundant flakes, utilized flakes, and various tool types. We consider several different models that help interpret how chert crafting was organized at Santa Cruz. We also touch on possible reasons why there is obvious evidence of chert commodity crafting at Santa Cruz but less evidence of this at Chichen Itza and Ek Balam.

Cite this Record

Crafting Chert Commodities at Santa Cruz, Yucatan, Mexico. J. Gregory Smith, Alejandra Alonso Olvera. Presented at The 88th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2023 ( tDAR id: 473471)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -94.197; min lat: 16.004 ; max long: -86.682; max lat: 21.984 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35843.0