Scotti M Norman

This paper uses multiple geochemical ceramic datasets generated using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to reconstruct patterns in the manufacture of ceramics in four locales of the Inka realm. Specifically, we compare local and Inka Polychrome styles in different regions of the empire. Collectively, these data reveal that local systems of production were not greatly transformed by imperial expansion. However, our results suggest that potters continued to produce their earlier styles and added Inka styles manufactured with similar raw materials to their repertoire. This indicates that they actively made use of newly introduced craft concepts during political shifts. These results show the adaptability of local ceramicists in experimenting and/or learning paste recipes to manufacture Inka forms and design canons. Additionally, the data highlight the role of potters as participants in Inka imperialism through their manufacture of both foreign pottery and local ceramic styles.

The papers in this special issue arise from the Status and Identity in the Imperial Andes session held at the 2017 meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Vancouver, Canada. That session focused on the role of status and power in shaping colonial interactions and identities throughout the Andes during the fifteenth to seventeenth century CE. The papers in this issue examine how Inka and colonial period individuals (indigenous, African, mestizo, etc.) selectively incorporated or rejected Imperial goods, and how differing levels of access to these goods may have influenced social status, health, and relationships with imperial actors.

En este artículo utilizamos múltiples conjuntos de datos geoquímicos de cerámica utilizando la técnica de LA-ICP-MS (Ablación Láser de Espectrometría de Masas por Plasma Acoplado Inductivamente) para reconstruir los patrones de manufactura de cerámica de cuatro localidades del imperio Inka. Específicamente, comparamos estilos locales e Inkas polícromo en distintas regiones del imperio. De forma general, estos datos revelan que los sistemas de producción local no fueron impactados de manera intensa por la expansión imperial. Nuestros resultados sugieren que los ceramistas continuaron produciendo sus estilos previos y, a la vez, incluyeron la manufactura de estilos inkaicos con materia prima similar. Esto indica que ellos activamente introdujeron conceptos artesanales durante cambios políticos. Estos resultados demuestran la alta adaptabilidad de los ceramistas locales en experimentar y aprender las recetas de pastas para manufacturar formas y cánones de diseño inkaicos. Adicionalmente, los datos hacen resaltar el rol de los ceramistas cerámicos como participantes del imperialismo Inka a través de la manufactura de ambos, cerámica de estilo foráneo y local.

The papers in this special issue arise from the Status and Identity in the Imperial Andes session held at the 2017 meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Vancouver, Canada. That session focused on the role of status and power in shaping colonial interactions and identities throughout the Andes during the fifteenth to seventeenth century CE. The papers in this issue examine how Inka and colonial period individuals (indigenous, African, mestizo, etc.) selectively incorporated or rejected Imperial goods, and how differing levels of access to these goods may have influenced social status, health, and relationships with imperial actors.