Communities of Practice and Panamanian Majolica Production

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper deals with the production of Panamanian majolica in comparison with other colonial ceramics. Chemical and mineralogical characterization show the use of a distinctive recipe for the production of this colonial ware. These results are consistent with previous interpretations that imply the community of potters controlled the production of the recipe in Panama Viejo. However, in contrast to other interpretations that rely on the consumption of imported pottery to explain the disappearance of this ware, we suggest that other factors such as secrecy around the recipe and the lack of access to raw materials played a role in the end of its production. Contrary to the disappearance of Panamanian majolica, utilitarian wares flourished and continued to be produced through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The analysis challenges historical narratives that present the replacement of local technologies for Spanish industrialized ceramic production.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36030.0