Micaceous Mindsets: Chemical characterization of classic period utility wares at multiple sites along the Rio Grande

Abstract

Micaceous utility wares are commonly found at Ancestral Pueblo villages in the Rio Grande region, yet they have received relatively little attention compared to contemporary glaze wares. This lack of attention is unfortunate, because utility wares were a common component of daily Pueblo activities and are shown to have been involved in complex exchange schemes. Neutron activation analysis is used to chemically characterize micaceous utility sherds recovered from seven Classic Period (AD 1300–1600) sites located along the Rio Puerco and Rio Grande between the modern towns of Santa Fe and Socorro, New Mexico. The resulting distribution patterns broadly indicate heterogeneous procurement and/or manufacturing practices from site-to-site over the three centuries examined; however, a shared distribution between the Rio Puerco and Central Rio Grande is distinguishable. This relationship is evaluated and interpreted under a communities of practice framework, and bears to question how the manufacture, distribution, and use of micaceous utility wares elsewhere may be explored with this approach.