Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a low cost form of non-destructive analysis of obsidian. Us... more Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a low cost form of non-destructive analysis of obsidian. Using samples that need minimal or no preparation, it produces rapid results. Areas of misunderstanding regarding this technique may result in mistakes by the novice user. After explanation of terms and procedures that should be followed, the author provides an illustration using obsidian source data from the multicomponent rural site of Calcahuas, located in Tlaxcala, Mexico. The surface collection resulted in secure identification of nine sources of obsidian. The limited excavation from the Postclassic period (AD 1350-1521) had four sources of obsidian, some from areas thought to have not been accessible to Calcahuas residents at that time.
This research analyzed excavations of Mesoamerican houses in one urban and two rural communities ... more This research analyzed excavations of Mesoamerican houses in one urban and two rural communities just outside the central area of the Aztec Empire for cotton thread and textile production. The study covered the Middle and Late Postclassic periods (1100 - 1519 A.D). Methods included measuring spindle whorl moments of inertia and conducting experimental archaeology. The spindle whorl assemblage in Morelos differed fundamentally from Valley of Mexico whorl assemblages in whorl weight and moment of inertia. Spindle whorl efficiency, as measured by moment of inertia, went down over time. This was true especially in the most rural community. Experimental work showed that although whorl use is very flexible, some whorls work better for plying thread. This insight enabled analysis of division of labor among households. In all three communities the greatest increase in thread spinning occurred in the Middle Postclassic period, well before incorporation of the areas into the Aztec Empire. Diachronic change differed in each community. Before incorporation into the Aztec Empire, all three communities had access to metal needles from West Mexico. After Aztec conquest, the urban community maintained trade with the Tarascan Empire for West Mexican ores, but the most rural community did not. While spinning did not increase significantly after Aztec conquest, the organization of labor in households changed subtly. In both communities with elites, elite involvement in thread production became more specialized over time. The larger rural community rearranged labor over time so that household task sharing shifted from a single house in a house group more focussed on particular tasks to whole house groups being more focussed on particular tasks. Although thread production did not increase significantly after Aztec conquest, pollen analysis showed it is likely that raw cotton production for export increased and at least one community increased its use of dye plants. Women in the most urban community bore the lightest domestic burden after Aztec conquest as reflected in lower relative thread and tortilla production to the other two communities.Concurrently, the two rural communities increased their efforts in either needlework or textile dyeing.
This is a detailed report on excavations of houses at the Aztec-period site of Yautepec in centra... more This is a detailed report on excavations of houses at the Aztec-period site of Yautepec in central Mexico. It contains descriptions of excavations and artifacts, as well as technical studies. As the most complete report yet published on an Aztec-period city, the results illuminate issues from social inequality to commercial exchange.
Este es un informe detallado sobre las excavaciones de casas en el sitio del período Azteca de Yautepec en el centro de México. Contiene descripciones de excavaciones y artefactos, así como estudios técnicos. Como el informe más completo publicado en un sitio urbano del período azteca, los resultados ilustran los problemas desde la desigualdad social al intercambio comercial.
Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a low cost form of non-destructive analysis of obsidian. Us... more Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a low cost form of non-destructive analysis of obsidian. Using samples that need minimal or no preparation, it produces rapid results. Areas of misunderstanding regarding this technique may result in mistakes by the novice user. After explanation of terms and procedures that should be followed, the author provides an illustration using obsidian source data from the multicomponent rural site of Calcahuas, located in Tlaxcala, Mexico. The surface collection resulted in secure identification of nine sources of obsidian. The limited excavation from the Postclassic period (AD 1350-1521) had four sources of obsidian, some from areas thought to have not been accessible to Calcahuas residents at that time.
This research analyzed excavations of Mesoamerican houses in one urban and two rural communities ... more This research analyzed excavations of Mesoamerican houses in one urban and two rural communities just outside the central area of the Aztec Empire for cotton thread and textile production. The study covered the Middle and Late Postclassic periods (1100 - 1519 A.D). Methods included measuring spindle whorl moments of inertia and conducting experimental archaeology. The spindle whorl assemblage in Morelos differed fundamentally from Valley of Mexico whorl assemblages in whorl weight and moment of inertia. Spindle whorl efficiency, as measured by moment of inertia, went down over time. This was true especially in the most rural community. Experimental work showed that although whorl use is very flexible, some whorls work better for plying thread. This insight enabled analysis of division of labor among households. In all three communities the greatest increase in thread spinning occurred in the Middle Postclassic period, well before incorporation of the areas into the Aztec Empire. Diachronic change differed in each community. Before incorporation into the Aztec Empire, all three communities had access to metal needles from West Mexico. After Aztec conquest, the urban community maintained trade with the Tarascan Empire for West Mexican ores, but the most rural community did not. While spinning did not increase significantly after Aztec conquest, the organization of labor in households changed subtly. In both communities with elites, elite involvement in thread production became more specialized over time. The larger rural community rearranged labor over time so that household task sharing shifted from a single house in a house group more focussed on particular tasks to whole house groups being more focussed on particular tasks. Although thread production did not increase significantly after Aztec conquest, pollen analysis showed it is likely that raw cotton production for export increased and at least one community increased its use of dye plants. Women in the most urban community bore the lightest domestic burden after Aztec conquest as reflected in lower relative thread and tortilla production to the other two communities.Concurrently, the two rural communities increased their efforts in either needlework or textile dyeing.
This is a detailed report on excavations of houses at the Aztec-period site of Yautepec in centra... more This is a detailed report on excavations of houses at the Aztec-period site of Yautepec in central Mexico. It contains descriptions of excavations and artifacts, as well as technical studies. As the most complete report yet published on an Aztec-period city, the results illuminate issues from social inequality to commercial exchange.
Este es un informe detallado sobre las excavaciones de casas en el sitio del período Azteca de Yautepec en el centro de México. Contiene descripciones de excavaciones y artefactos, así como estudios técnicos. Como el informe más completo publicado en un sitio urbano del período azteca, los resultados ilustran los problemas desde la desigualdad social al intercambio comercial.
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Este es un informe detallado sobre las excavaciones de casas en el sitio del período Azteca de Yautepec en el centro de México. Contiene descripciones de excavaciones y artefactos, así como estudios técnicos. Como el informe más completo publicado en un sitio urbano del período azteca, los resultados ilustran los problemas desde la desigualdad social al intercambio comercial.
Este es un informe detallado sobre las excavaciones de casas en el sitio del período Azteca de Yautepec en el centro de México. Contiene descripciones de excavaciones y artefactos, así como estudios técnicos. Como el informe más completo publicado en un sitio urbano del período azteca, los resultados ilustran los problemas desde la desigualdad social al intercambio comercial.