Page 1. ARTICLES IN THE AFTERMATH OF TEOTIHUACAN: EPICLASSIC POTTERY PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION ... more Page 1. ARTICLES IN THE AFTERMATH OF TEOTIHUACAN: EPICLASSIC POTTERY PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE TEOTIHUACAN VALLEY, MEXICO DestinyCrider, Deborah L. Nichols, Hector Neff, and Michael D. Glascock ...
For several decades, little research has been directed towards understanding the beginnings of co... more For several decades, little research has been directed towards understanding the beginnings of complex society in the Teotihuacan Valley. Recent archaeological investigations at the Early–Middle Formative site of Altica provide a fresh perspective on dating the initial establishment of agricultural villages, early social and economic differentiation, and the development of intra-and interregional exchange networks to test comparative models of political economy.
We explore the relationship between long-distance pottery trade and the formation of Early and Mi... more We explore the relationship between long-distance pottery trade and the formation of Early and Middle Formative style horizons in Mesoamerica. A sample of 1,154 ceramics mostly from Early and Middle Formative contexts in the central Mexican highlands was irradiated at the University of Missouri Research Reactor with a subsample (n = 313) for petrographic analysis. We conclude that: (1) most sites and regions display more than one process for making pottery; (2) there is a small amount of intraregional exchange among central Mexican sites, with the southeastern Basin of Mexico making the largest portion of pottery intended for trade within the region; and (3) interregional imports found at several sites likely come from the metamorphic region of southwestern Puebla with smaller numbers imported from the southern Gulf Coast, Morelos, and possibly Oaxaca. The trend over time from Early Formative to the end of the Middle Formative is one of decreasing intensity of long-distance interaction and decreasing geographic range of trade. These two trends contribute to the regional divergence of ceramic styles that peaks by the Late Formative in Mesoamerica.
The Altica Project that began in 2014 is an important step in addressing over two decades of limi... more The Altica Project that began in 2014 is an important step in addressing over two decades of limited problem-oriented research at Formative sites in the Basin of Mexico. Through this research, we demonstrate that Altica is the earliest known settled village in the Teotihuacan Valley and one of the only first-farming village sites in the Basin of Mexico that has not been engulfed by the urban sprawl of Mexico City. It represents the northward spread of settled village life in a time that people of the region were transitioning from a mobile foraging lifestyle to one more reliant on food production. Despite its small size and remote location, Altica was an important part of Early and Middle Formative exchange networks, as it imported multiple types of goods from distant places in Mesoamerica and may have played a role in the early trade of Otumba obsidian. This paper leads the Special Section by framing the research project and outlining its major goals. Survey and excavation results are introduced. Finally, we preface each of the presentations to situate them within the framework. Altica spans a transitional period in Mesoamerica that began around 1000 cal b.c. We establish Altica as a proxy to understand broader Mesoamerican processes at that time.
The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pa. I6802, USA). Born in i926, he was educate... more The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pa. I6802, USA). Born in i926, he was educated at Harvard College (BA, 1941) and Harvard University (MA, I953; Ph.D., 1957). He taught at the University of Mississippi from I956 to I959 and has been at Penn State ever since, taking ...
... Gender identity, though founded of course on the obvious difference between male and female b... more ... Gender identity, though founded of course on the obvious difference between male and female ba-bies, was, I suggest, similarily ... in Morelos responded to the increased de-mand by the Spanish for plain cloth by women cooperating in spinning and weaving and by ...
... AD 1150) to the conquest of the Aztecs under the leadership of Cortés (15191521), complex ..... more ... AD 1150) to the conquest of the Aztecs under the leadership of Cortés (15191521), complex ... lections indicated that the items produced there included obsidian cores and blades, ceramic figurines, and ... To find in a single Aztec site such extensive and abundant ev-idence of ...
Page 1. ARTICLES IN THE AFTERMATH OF TEOTIHUACAN: EPICLASSIC POTTERY PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION ... more Page 1. ARTICLES IN THE AFTERMATH OF TEOTIHUACAN: EPICLASSIC POTTERY PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE TEOTIHUACAN VALLEY, MEXICO DestinyCrider, Deborah L. Nichols, Hector Neff, and Michael D. Glascock ...
For several decades, little research has been directed towards understanding the beginnings of co... more For several decades, little research has been directed towards understanding the beginnings of complex society in the Teotihuacan Valley. Recent archaeological investigations at the Early–Middle Formative site of Altica provide a fresh perspective on dating the initial establishment of agricultural villages, early social and economic differentiation, and the development of intra-and interregional exchange networks to test comparative models of political economy.
We explore the relationship between long-distance pottery trade and the formation of Early and Mi... more We explore the relationship between long-distance pottery trade and the formation of Early and Middle Formative style horizons in Mesoamerica. A sample of 1,154 ceramics mostly from Early and Middle Formative contexts in the central Mexican highlands was irradiated at the University of Missouri Research Reactor with a subsample (n = 313) for petrographic analysis. We conclude that: (1) most sites and regions display more than one process for making pottery; (2) there is a small amount of intraregional exchange among central Mexican sites, with the southeastern Basin of Mexico making the largest portion of pottery intended for trade within the region; and (3) interregional imports found at several sites likely come from the metamorphic region of southwestern Puebla with smaller numbers imported from the southern Gulf Coast, Morelos, and possibly Oaxaca. The trend over time from Early Formative to the end of the Middle Formative is one of decreasing intensity of long-distance interaction and decreasing geographic range of trade. These two trends contribute to the regional divergence of ceramic styles that peaks by the Late Formative in Mesoamerica.
The Altica Project that began in 2014 is an important step in addressing over two decades of limi... more The Altica Project that began in 2014 is an important step in addressing over two decades of limited problem-oriented research at Formative sites in the Basin of Mexico. Through this research, we demonstrate that Altica is the earliest known settled village in the Teotihuacan Valley and one of the only first-farming village sites in the Basin of Mexico that has not been engulfed by the urban sprawl of Mexico City. It represents the northward spread of settled village life in a time that people of the region were transitioning from a mobile foraging lifestyle to one more reliant on food production. Despite its small size and remote location, Altica was an important part of Early and Middle Formative exchange networks, as it imported multiple types of goods from distant places in Mesoamerica and may have played a role in the early trade of Otumba obsidian. This paper leads the Special Section by framing the research project and outlining its major goals. Survey and excavation results are introduced. Finally, we preface each of the presentations to situate them within the framework. Altica spans a transitional period in Mesoamerica that began around 1000 cal b.c. We establish Altica as a proxy to understand broader Mesoamerican processes at that time.
The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pa. I6802, USA). Born in i926, he was educate... more The Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pa. I6802, USA). Born in i926, he was educated at Harvard College (BA, 1941) and Harvard University (MA, I953; Ph.D., 1957). He taught at the University of Mississippi from I956 to I959 and has been at Penn State ever since, taking ...
... Gender identity, though founded of course on the obvious difference between male and female b... more ... Gender identity, though founded of course on the obvious difference between male and female ba-bies, was, I suggest, similarily ... in Morelos responded to the increased de-mand by the Spanish for plain cloth by women cooperating in spinning and weaving and by ...
... AD 1150) to the conquest of the Aztecs under the leadership of Cortés (15191521), complex ..... more ... AD 1150) to the conquest of the Aztecs under the leadership of Cortés (15191521), complex ... lections indicated that the items produced there included obsidian cores and blades, ceramic figurines, and ... To find in a single Aztec site such extensive and abundant ev-idence of ...
Spontaneous acts of violence born of human emotions like anger or greed are probably universal, b... more Spontaneous acts of violence born of human emotions like anger or greed are probably universal, but social violence—violence resulting from social relationships within and between groups of people—is a much more complex issue with implications beyond archaeology. Recent research has generated multiple interpretations about the forms, intensity, and underlying causes of social violence in the ancient Southwest. Deborah L. Nichols and Patricia L. Crown have gathered nine contributions from a variety of disciplines to examine social violence in the prehispanic American Southwest. Not only offering specific case studies but also delving into theoretical aspects, this volume looks at archaeological interpretations, multidisciplinary approaches, and the implications of archaeological research for Native peoples and how they are impacted by what archaeologists say about their past.
Specific chapters address the impacts of raiding and warfare, the possible origins of ritual violence, the evidence for social violence manifested in human skeletal remains, the implications of witchcraft persecution, and an examination of the reasons behind apparent anthropophagy. There is little question that social violence occurred in the American Southwest. These contributions support the need for further discussion and investigation into its causes and the broader implications for archaeology and anthropology. https://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid1960.htm
The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs, the first of its kind, provides a current overview of recent r... more The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs, the first of its kind, provides a current overview of recent research on the Aztec empire, the best documented prehispanic society in the Americas. Chapters span from the establishment of Aztec city-states to the encounter with the Spanish empire and the Colonial period that shaped the modern world. Articles in the Handbook take up new research trends and methodologies and current debates. The Handbook articles are divided into seven parts. Part I, Archaeology of the Aztecs, introduces the Aztecs, as well as Aztec studies today, including the recent practice of archaeology, ethnohistory, museum studies, and conservation. The articles in Part II, Historical Change, provide a long-term view of the Aztecs starting with important predecessors, the development of Aztec city-states and imperialism, and ending with a discussion of the encounter of the Aztec and Spanish empires. Articles also discuss Aztec notions of history, writing, and time. Part III, Landscapes and Places, describes the Aztec world in terms of its geography, ecology, and demography at varying scales from households to cities. Part IV, Economic and Social Relations in the Aztec Empire, discusses the ethnic complexity of the Aztec world and social and economic relations that have been a major focus of archaeology. Articles in Part V, Aztec Provinces, Friends, and Foes, focuses on the Aztec's dynamic relations with distant provinces, and empires and groups that resisted conquest, and even allied with the Spanish to overthrow the Aztec king. This is followed by Part VI, Ritual, Belief, and Religion, which examines the different beliefs and rituals that formed Aztec religion and their worldview, as well as the material culture of religious practice. The final section of the volume, Aztecs after the Conquest, carries the Aztecs through the post-conquest period, an increasingly important area of archaeological work, and considers the place of the Aztecs in the modern world.
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Papers by Deborah Nichols
Specific chapters address the impacts of raiding and warfare, the possible origins of ritual violence, the evidence for social violence manifested in human skeletal remains, the implications of witchcraft persecution, and an examination of the reasons behind apparent anthropophagy. There is little question that social violence occurred in the American Southwest. These contributions support the need for further discussion and investigation into its causes and the broader implications for archaeology and anthropology.
https://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid1960.htm
Economic and Social Relations in the Aztec Empire, discusses the ethnic complexity of the Aztec world and social and economic relations that have been a major focus of archaeology. Articles in Part V, Aztec Provinces, Friends, and Foes, focuses on the Aztec's dynamic relations with distant provinces, and empires and groups that resisted conquest, and even allied with the Spanish to overthrow the Aztec king. This is followed by Part VI, Ritual, Belief, and Religion, which examines the different beliefs and rituals that formed Aztec religion and their worldview, as well as the material culture of religious practice. The final section of the volume, Aztecs after the Conquest, carries the Aztecs through the post-conquest period, an increasingly important area of archaeological work, and considers the place of the Aztecs in the modern world.