Changes in Obsidian Procurement and Use from the Preclassic to the Classic Periods at Holtun, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Imported obsidian is often representative of regional trade patterns in Meosamerica. Such patterns for the Central Lowland Maya have been documented and allow for comparisons between sites and between periods within a single site. In this paper we compare the procurement and use patterns of obsidian between the Preclassic and Classic periods at Holtun. While excavations at Holtun uncovered less obsidian than other, larger nearby sites, such as Tikal and Yaxha, the presence of obsidian throughout the site’s occupation allowed for the analysis of intrasite spatial and temporal patterns. Sourcing and use studies of Holtun’s obsidian indicate a shift not only in procurement from the Preclassic period to the Classic period, but a change in how and to what extent obsidian blades were used over time. Like many other lowland Maya sites, Holtun experienced a shift from emphasizing San Martín Jilotepeque obsidian in the Preclassic to El Chayal obsidian in the Classic period, though usage patterns during both periods suggest that El Chayal was often conserved at higher rates regardless of its overall availability.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38423.0