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Volcanic Ash Tempered Pottery Production in the Late to Terminal Classic Belize Valley, Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2022

Jillian M. Jordan Open the ORCID record for Jillian M. Jordan [Opens in a new window] ,
James A. Davenport ,
Whitney A. Goodwin ,
Brandi L. MacDonald ,
Claire E. Ebert ,
Julie A. Hoggarth  and
Jaime J. Awe
Jillian M. Jordan*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
James A. Davenport
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Whitney A. Goodwin
Affiliation:
Archaeometry Laboratory, Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Brandi L. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Archaeometry Laboratory, Research Reactor Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Claire E. Ebert
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Julie A. Hoggarth
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
Jaime J. Awe
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
*
([email protected]; corresponding author)
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Abstract

Production and consumption of pottery tempered with fresh volcanic ash peaked in the Late to Terminal Classic periods in the Maya lowlands. Differences in the type of volcanic inclusion and vessel form indicate that the pottery was produced in multiple locations by different groups of potters. In this article, we characterize pottery from household contexts at Baking Pot, Belize, using thin-section petrography and neutron activation analysis (NAA) to document mineralogical and chemical variability and determine provenance. The pottery was produced by adding fresh volcanic ash to a micritic clay. The petrographic and chemical data indicate that this paste recipe was produced locally in the Belize Valley. Variation in the paste recipes used is likely due to both production differences and postdepositional alteration. We argue that it is critical to use both petrography and NAA to understand pottery production and provenance in the Maya region.

La producción y el consumo de cerámica con vidrio volcánico alcanzó su punto máximo en las Tierras Bajas Mayas durante elos periodos Clásico Tardío al Terminal. Explicaciones por estas cerámicas varían. Diferencias en el tipo de inclusiones volcánicas y forma indican que la cerámica fue producida en lugares múltiples por grupos diferentes de alfareros. Analizamos cerámica de contextos domésticos en Baking Pot, Belice, utilizando la petrográfia y el análisis por activación de neutrónica (NAA) para documentar la variabilidad y determinar la procedencia. La cerámica se produjo con vidrio volcánica fresca y una arcilla micrítica. Los datos petrográficos y químicos indican la cerámica se produjo localmente en el Valle de Belice. Es probable que la variación se debe tanto a las diferencias de producción como a la alteración post-deposicional. Es fundamental utilizar ambas técnicas analíticas para comprender la producción y la procedencia de las cerámicas en las Tierras Bajas Mayas.

Keywords

Classic Mayapotteryceramic technologyvolcanic ashpetrographyneutron activation analysisprovenanceMaya del Clásicocerámicatecnología de cerámicavidrio volcánicopetrográfiael análisis por activación de neutrónicaprocedencia
Type
Article
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , September 2022 , pp. 556 - 574
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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