Evidence of Maya Metalworking from Mensabak, Chiapas, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Evidence of precolumbian Maya metallurgy is increasingly coming to light with numerous finds occurring in the Guatemalan highlands and the northern part of the Yucatan peninsula. In this paper, we present new evidence of Maya metallurgy from the Mensabak region of Chiapas, Mexico, that dates to the Late Postclassic / early Spanish colonial period (AD 1200–1550). Our finds consist of copper-based prills, bell fragments, and casting sprues along with potential crucibles and bone tools for metal processing. Based on this evidence we argue for the existence of regionally specific metalworking techniques as well as artifact styles. Additionally, we highlight some of our initial experimental archeology aimed at understanding past Maya metallurgy. In general, our findings in Chiapas allow us to begin to conceptualize metalworking as part of multifunctional places and develop a broader conception of the technological process along with its variations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39468.0