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Microwear Analysis in the Southeast Maya Lowlands: Two Case Studies at Copan, Honduras

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Kazuo Aoyama
Kazuo Aoyama*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
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Abstract

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Based on the results of 267 replication experiments with obsidian, chalcedony, and agate tools conducted with a range of working materials, I have classified use-wear patterns using Keeley's high-resolution approach to establish a framework for interpretation of stone-tool use. This paper describes the results of microwear analysis of two assemblages of lithic artifacts from the late Late Classic period (A. D. 763-850) at Copán, western Honduras, and shows how the use-wear data can be interpreted within the archaeological contexts and help to investigate how ancient complex societies functioned as well as how and why they changed. Microwear analysis of chipped-stone artifacts collected in front of Structure 10L-16 and artifacts from Structure 10L-22A show clear differences between the two assemblages. In accordance with the archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic evidence, the low use-intensity of chipped stone from the first structure could have originated from special use such as ritual, production of marine shell ornaments, etc., during the reign of Yax Pac. Marine shell craft production may have been carried out by members of the royal family or attached specialists serving the ruler. The relatively high use-intensity observable in the second assemblage may reinforce the hypothesis that the building was a Classic Maya popol na (council house) in which feasts or banquets were prepared. If this was the case, use-wear data might support epigraphic and iconographic evidence that suggests the weakening and eventual demise of centralized political authority at Copán in the ninth century.

A base de los resultados de 267 experimentos con herramientas de obsidiana, calcedonia, y ágata conducidos con varios materiales de trabajo, he clasificado los patrones de huellas de uso según el método de gran alcance desarrollado por Keeley (1980) con el fin de establecer un marco para interpretar las funciones de herramientas líticas. Este artículo presenta los resultados del análisis de microhuellas de dos colecciones de artefactos líticos pertenecientes al final del Clásico Tardío (763-850 D. C.) procedentes de Copán, en el occidente de Honduras, y demuestra como los datos sobre microhuellas pueden interpretarse en los contextos arqueológicos y ayudar a investigar cómo antiguas sociedades complejas funcionaron y por qué cambiaron. El análisis de microhuellas de los artefactos líticos encontrados en frente de la Estructura 10L-16 y los artefactos procedentes de la Estructura 10L-22A demuestra claras diferencias entre los dos agrupamientos. Junto con la evidencia arqueológica, epigráfica, e iconográfica, la baja intensidad de uso de la lítica menor procedente de la Estructura 10L-16 puede indicar algún uso especial, tal como ritos, producción de ornamentos de conchas marítimas, etc. durante la soberanía de Yax Pac. La producción de ornamentos de concha marina pudo haber sido llevada a cabo por miembros de la familia real, o especialistas que servían al gobernante. Por otra parte, puede ser que la relativamente alta intensidad de uso del grupo de lítica menor procedente de la Estructura 10L-22A fortalezca la hipótesis de que el edificio sirvió como un popol na, o sea casa de consejo, donde se prepararon festines o banquetes. Si éste fuera el caso, los datos de huellas de uso podrían apoyar la evidencia epigráfica e iconográfica que sugiere la debilitación y disminución eventual de la autoridad política central en Copán durante el siglo nueve.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 129 - 144
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 1995. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology

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