Soil Micromorphology Applied to Ceramics from Chupícuaro: The Search of Raw Materials in Volcanic Contexts

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Reassessing Chupícuaro–Cuicuilco Relationships in Light of Ceramic Production (Formative Mesoamerica)" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Regional geology affects the mineralogical and geochemical footprints of ceramics components, yet in relative homogeneous areas, the first approximations of ceramic petrogroups can be difficult to define. One approach is to apply concepts derived from soil micromorphology, regarding stable elements or pedorelicts that may be preserved despite the complex history of the artifact. During the Chupícuaro occupation phases consider the dominance of sand fraction components derived from local geology (this includes the presence of volcanic glass, with some variants, as well some ignimbrite textures) including a general affectation by hydrothermalism. Particularly, in the Chupícuaro phase, ceramics with fine sand fraction components present mica group minerals and reworked clay illuviation pedofeatures. The subsequent Mixtlan phase present a minor contribution of Fe-Mg minerals and volcanic glass. A contrasting aspect is the optical activity of the clay matrices between the two occupation phases, particularly form the Mixtlan phase where it is possible to observe striated fabrics associated with manufacture traces related to the ductile-brittle state of the paste. This last technical aspect needs more detail in its characterization and comparison with the “natural” conditions of clay mineral genesis in the local soil prospection as raw materials.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Reassessing Chupícuaro–Cuicuilco Relationships in Light of Ceramic Production (Formative Mesoamerica)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39943.0