Early Postclassic Periods Research Articles

Costly signaling, cost shifting, and the Maya Classic-Postclassic transition: architecture and portable display media in the context of The Petén Lakes region, Guatemala

Costly signaling theory indicates that highly visible acts of public generosity and display, which exact costs not easily recouped, can provide social benefits to those engaged in such acts. Such signaling is associated with the strength or fitness of the provider. Costly signaling has been implicated by archaeologists in the rise of complex societies. But costly signaling theory, with modifications proposed in the article, might equally apply to theorizing political collapse and the regeneration of complex societies thereafter. This article explores how Maya elites and rural sub-elites engaged in costly signaling and modified their actions by cost shifting and cost masking, which significantly transformed their signaling behavior. The material culture media assessed for signaling are architecture, slipped and fineware ceramics, and obsidian in display contexts. The case study focuses on the Petén Lakes region of Guatemala from the Late Classic to Early Postclassic periods (AD 600-AD 1250).

CONTROL, COLLAPSE, AND RESILIENCE AT RÍO AMARILLO IN THE COPAN VALLEY, HONDURAS

AbstractThis article documents the transition from the Late Classic to Postclassic periods at Río Amarillo, a hinterland outpost of the Copan polity, and at an associated residential group, Site 5, in the Río Amarillo East Pocket of the Copan Valley. Late Classic period evidence indicates that the site of Río Amarillo operated as an administrative center for the Copan polity with the likely objective of increased agricultural production for the burgeoning population in the Copan Pocket. In the Terminal Classic period, Río Amarillo shared the fate of Copan, with evidence indicating it was burned and sacked. However, unlike the Copan Pocket, many residential groups remained occupied during the Early Postclassic. Here we focus on Site 5. An unbroken occupation from the Late Classic through to the end of the Early Postclassic period, as this site provides a window into an existence without the requirements of tribute given to their western neighbor. We hypothesize that the smaller settlement size and higher amount of rainfall in this valley pocket, as well as a richer and more diversified environment, were important factors in the survival of some of its population.

Household lake exploitation and aquatic lifeways in postclassic Xaltocan, Mexico

This article explores archaeological evidence for the exploitation of lacustrine resources at the island site of Xaltocan, in the northern Basin of Mexico. Parsons (2010) hypothesized that aquatic resources were key to the development of large populations and urbanism in the Mesoamerican highlands, as these resources provided protein, nutrients, calories, and a wide range of raw materials. However, lake exploitationis difficult to document because these resources often do not preserve archaeologically. This article demonstrates that wecan begin to study lake exploitation by integrating multiple lines of evidence such as micro-artifacts, exchemical signatures, flora and faunal remains, and by looking for the toolkits associated with the extraction and processing of these resources. This study finds that households in Xaltocan were processing fish, hunting waterfowl, engaging in matproduction, and making fishing nets alongside other activities as early as the Early Postclassic ( CE 900–1250) period. Further, it demonstrates that aquatic lifeways provided flexibility and offered a wide range of resources for exploitation that were variably utilized by different households. However, people’s lake exploitation activities changed over time as they were shaped and constrained by outside processes, including regional political, economic, and environmental forces.

Obsidian exchange networks in the Jovel Valley, Chiapas, Mexico: A compositional analysis approach

This article presents an analysis of obsidian artifacts from Maya archaeological sites in the Jovel Valley of highland Chiapas. The sites were all occupied during the Late Classic (AD 600–900) and Early Postclassic (AD 900–1250) periods, and include Moxviquil and CV-38, two small monumental centers on opposite sides of the valley, and Huitepec, a residential site on the southwest edge of the valley. 165 artifacts excavated by the Proyecto Económico de los Altos de Chiapas in 2009 and 2015 (164 obsidian artifacts and 1 glass) were analyzed using x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and the results were compared to known volcanic sources in Mesoamerica. The results indicate a significant bifurcation of dominant sources between sites on both sites of the valley, which, we conclude, also had a temporal aspect. Artifacts from CV-38 were predominantly from the San Martín Jilotepeque source, and were primarily associated with Late Classic period occupation, while artifacts from outlying areas at Moxviquil and Huitepec were predominantly from the El Chayal source and a small number of Central Mexican sources, and were primarily associated with Early Postclassic period occupation. Most artifacts in the study sample were 3rd series prismatic blade sections, originating from multiple obsidian sources. A unique notched prismatic blade eccentric recovered at Moxviquil likely represents an effigy stingray spine, and was likely a ceremonial object used by the site’s residents.

Hunting, husbandry, exchange and ritual: animal use and meaning at Moxviquil, Chiapas Mexico

This study investigates the animal use of the ancient inhabitants of Moxviquil, a small urban center in the Jovel Valley of highland Chiapas, Mexico, that was occupied during the Late Classic (AD 600-900) and Early Postclassic periods (AD 900-1250). Zooarchaeological remains were recovered from the monumental zone, from a neighboring hilltop residential group, and from the funerary cave located immediately below the residential group. Rather than a hard boundary between house and wilderness, sacred and profane, the distribution of different species and elements reflect the ways in which animals and animal products were interwoven through the fabric of cultural practice. Domestic spaces reflect the selective husbandry and hunting of animals for everyday living, compared to the high-status crafts and dedicatory contexts of royal residences, and the carefully constructed microcosm of ritual activities represented in the funerary cave. Following Rapoport (1982) and Barthes (2012), we use a framework of low-level, mid-level and high-level meanings to understand everyday hunting and domestication practice, status and exchange relationships, and medicinal and ceremonial uses. Considering the meanings of particular animal species can provide a holistic perspective on the cultural practices that shaped royal, residential and ritual spaces at Moxviquil, and provide a perspective on broader issues of agro-urbanism and resiliency in highland Maya polities.

A Funerary Cave at Moxviquil, Chiapas, Mexico

ABSTRACTThis article presents the excavation results of a funerary cave at the site of Moxviquil, located in the Jovel Valley of central highland Chiapas, Mexico. Diagnostic ceramics from funerary offerings suggest that the use of the cave spanned the principal occupation at the site, including Late Classic (a.d. 600–900) and Early Postclassic (a.d. 900–1250) periods. The offerings situate the Moxviquil cave within an extensive tradition of Mesoamerican sacred caves as funerary loci and situate the site itself within an extensive network of eastward- and westward-facing trade networks and political connections.

Gulf Coast Influence at Moxviquil, Chiapas, Mexico

This article presents evidence for the shifting economic networks and cultural relationships between the Jovel Valley of highland Chiapas, and the Gulf Coast lowlands. In particular, we examine material culture of Gulf Coast origin or influence at the hilltop monumental centre of Moxviquil during the Late Classic (ad600–900) and Early Postclassic (ad900–1250) periods. These artifacts include a fine orange cylindrical pedestal vase, two examples of ‘portable sculpture’, two anthropomorphic incense burner lids and a whistle (ocarina) in the shape of a kneeling woman. The patterns of curation and disposal of these objects at Moxviquil suggests differences in the way that Gulf Coast-referencing objects were incorporated into social memory and ritual behaviour.

All That Glitters Is Not Plumbate: Diffusion and Imitation of Plumbate Pottery during the Early Postclassic Period (AD 900–1200) at the Malpaís of Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico

In Mesoamerica, the Early Postclassic (AD 900–1200) is characterized by the long-distance circulation of pottery with a very hard and shiny coating with a metallic aspect, known as Plumbate ware. Plumbate is linked stylistically to the Toltec culture but was produced in workshops in Soconusco (Chiapas). The discovery of a similar collection of sherds during recent work at the site of El Palacio (Zacapu, Michoacán) shows that Plumbate ware also reached this region of Western Mexico. We carried out instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA) on 11 of the Zacapu fragments and compared the results to the data from ceramic pastes from the region of Soconusco and Pátzcuaro Basin (Michoacán). Ten sherds were produced in Michoacán and are thus a local imitation, whereas the last fragment corresponds to a Tohil-type Plumbate paste and was transported over a long distance. This raises questions of the modalities for the circulation of this pot and the conditions allowing for production of an imitation (transfer of technical know-how?), which we suggest is linked to the Toltec culture in the center of Mexico.

Integrating U-Th, 14C, and 210Pb methods to produce a chronologically reliable isotope record for the Belize River Valley Maya from a low-uranium stalagmite

Social and environmental changes had great spatiotemporal variability in the Maya Lowlands during the Classic and Postclassic Periods, and stalagmites promise high-resolution paleoclimate data that can refine our understanding of this complex time. Unfortunately, stalagmites in this region are often difficult to date by U-Th methods because of low initial uranium concentrations. Other dating techniques can be used on such stalagmites, and we present here an age–depth model for BZBT1, a low-uranium stalagmite sampled from Box Tunich cave in the Belize River Valley. This age–depth model dates the growth of BZBT1 to between 400 and 1610 yr BP (340–1550 CE) by combining evidence from U-Th results, radiocarbon dating of both stalagmite CaCO3 and trapped organic material, and 210Pb dating. The resulting stable isotope record from BZBT1 reveals paleoclimate changes that affected local Maya populations during the Classic and early Postclassic Periods. This record is further refined by isotopically tuning the BZBT1 data with two other regional stalagmite records. Our work offers additional paleoclimate insight into the relationship between the Maya and their environment from a stalagmite that would typically be disregarded for research purposes. Continued research into alternative dating techniques for speleothems can enable additional scientific discovery while promoting speleothem conservation.

THE ANCIENT SHELL COLLECTORS: TWO MILLENNIA OF MARINE SHELL EXCHANGE AT CEIBAL, GUATEMALA

AbstractThis study examines 2,000 years of marine trade to the ancient Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala. Located almost 150 kilometers from the nearest coast in Belize, Ceibal was a large community spanning the Middle Preclassic through early Postclassic periods (1000b.c.–a.d.1200). It therefore provides an excellent opportunity to assess the marine resources imported through the southern Maya lowlands over many centuries, offering insight into trade networks, uses of shell ornaments, religious beliefs and rituals, and other activities involving marine species. The study compares marine invertebrate data from Ceibal to a neighboring subordinate community, Caobal, as well as data previously reported from sites in the southern Mesoamerican lowlands, in order to understand regional sociocultural and trade connections over time. The majority of Ceibal's marine taxa are Atlantic species and reflect shell trends observed elsewhere in Guatemala and Belize, suggesting strong ties to trade networks eastward to the coast that lasted many centuries.

De Teotihuacan a Tenochtitlan. Dos trayectorias de cambio social

I review quantitative data for several major social and economic changes in central Mexico from the Classic Period through the Late Postclassic Period. Two kinds of trajectories through time can be identified. First, population and urbanization exhibited U-shaped curves of change: High values for Teotihuacan in the Classic, then lower values during the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods, followed by high values again in the Late Postclassic (Aztec) Period. On the other hand, economic measures (trade and commercialization) increased over this interval, while measures of well-being or standard of living declined. This is a preliminary study that points to the importance of quantitative archaeological data for research on the changes that took place in ancient Mesoamerica.

Rural responses following collapse: insights from Monte El Santo, Oaxaca, Mexico

ABSTRACTIn archaeology, rural areas are increasingly understood as dynamic places where inhabitants negotiate with the local and wider community in diverse ways to ensure their well-being. Developments have also been made in research that explores the variety of responses to collapse scenarios. This paper engages with both lines of inquiry to examine how the rural community of Monte El Santo responded to the political collapse of the Río Viejo polity in the Early Postclassic period on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. The lack of powerful political institutions following the Río Viejo collapse allowed both commoners at Río Viejo and rural people from Monte El Santo to gain greater access to trade networks and prestige goods. Data from spindle whorls and obsidian from both sites, however, demonstrate that rural actors did not necessarily engage with the post-collapse situation in the same way as their urban counterparts.

Obsidian artifacts from the southeastern structure of the Lagartero Acropolis, Chiapas, Mexico

Obsidian artifacts recovered from a structure located in the southeastern area of the Lagartero archeological site (Early Classic to Early Postclassic Periods), Chiapas, Mexico, were studied. Most artifacts were blades (proximal, medial, and distal fragments) in addition to flakes and core fragments. Groups of objects were differentiated according to their manufacturing technique and sequencing. Neutron activation analysis was applied to a collection of these artifacts, which were subsequently determined to come from one Mexican source (Sierra de Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico) and three additional sources in the Guatemalan Highlands (Ixtepeque, El Chayal, and San Martin Jilotepeque, the majority from the last). These results indicate contact between Lagartero and other Mayan and Mesoamerican populations. Due to its proximity, San Martin Jilotepeque was an important obsidian supplier for Lagartero. Two possible trade routes to Lagartero for the Sierra de Pachuca obsidian are proposed.

The Enduring Toltecs: History and Truth During the Aztec-to-Colonial Transition at Tula, Hidalgo

Tula, Hidalgo, was an important early Postclassic city that dominated much of central Mexico as well as adjacent regions to its north and west. For many decades, Tula was thought to be the city that early colonial documents referred to as “Tollan,” or “place of the reeds.” It is clear that the Aztec Empire, a later civilization that dominated a much larger area, revered Tollan and connected themselves to the city and its people, the Toltecs, in various ways. Recent research has questioned whether Tula was indeed the Tollan that the Aztecs revered; instead, Tollan may have been a concept that referred to all of the great civilizations that preceded the Aztecs. These two perspectives, which I frame as the “single Tollan/many Tollans” debate, have important consequences for our understanding of the early Postclassic period as well as colonial configurations of power. I argue that to understand the Aztecs’ relationships with their past, and the colonial consequences of those relationships, it is important to shift away from questions of truth. Instead, I concentrate on historical narratives and the social, material, and biological effects that they produced, including the early and late Aztec interventions at Tula. I argue that Jorge Acosta’s data provide evidence for an Early Aztec period termination ritual and a Late Aztec period New Fire ceremony that ushered in a new population boom at Tula. In turn, these connections allowed for the unprecedented rise of the Moctezuma family during the colonial period. This evidence forms part of a broader argument that the two sides of the Tula debate are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they both form part of attempts to control, claim, and revere the past in the inherently unstable fields of power that characterized the late Postclassic and early colonial periods in central Mexico.

Turkey husbandry and use in Oaxaca, Mexico: A contextual study of turkey remains and SEM analysis of eggshell from the Mitla Fortress

Recent excavations of two domestic residences at the Mitla Fortress, dating to the Classic to Early Postclassic period (ca. CE 300–1200), have uncovered the remains of juvenile and adult turkeys (both hens and toms), several whole eggs, and numerous eggshell fragments in domestic refuse and ritual offering contexts. Holistically, this is the clearest and most comprehensive evidence to date for turkey domestication in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. Juvenile turkeys range in age, from recently hatched poults to young juvenile birds. Medullary bone, which only forms in female birds before and during the egg-laying cycle, indicates the presence of at least one egg-laying hen. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the eggshell reveals both unhatched and hatched eggs from a range of incubation stages, from unfertilized or newly fertilized eggs to eggs nearing the termination of embryogenesis to hatched poults. We present these new data and explore turkey husbandry, consumption, and use by two residential households at the Mitla Fortress.

Cross-valley communities: Identity and interaction in Early Postclassic period highland Chiapas

Over the last half-century, anthropologists have employed the concept of “communities” as an interpretive framework. While many scholars have conceptualized the community as a territorial unit, it may be more usefully viewed as a type of social network. As social networks, communities create patterned relationships and interactions between their members, which can be reflected in various aspects of material culture from landscape markers to similarities in the stylistic attributes of domestic artifact assemblages. This article examines the nature and degree of interaction between the Early Postclassic period archaeological sites of Moxviquil, Huitepec, and Yerba Buena in highland Chiapas, and the degree to which the relationships between them constitute communities as social networks. Statistical measures of homogeneity and boundedness are used to compare ceramic vessel attributes at these three sites, and to identify patterns of exchange, emulation and distinction in ceramic assemblages. The results of the analysis suggest high degrees of homogeneity in ceramic attributes between Jovel Valley sites, in contrast with low degrees of homogeneity between the Jovel Valley sites and Yerba Buena. However, the results also indicate a low degree of boundedness between these three sites, suggest low-intensity inter-valley interaction between separate communities.

Radiocarbon Chronology of the Tlatoani Site at Tlayacapan, Morelos, Mexico

The archaeological site of Tlatoani at Tlayacapan is located in the Mexican Highlands, in the present-day state of Morelos. The site is an extant settlement located at the top of the Tepoztlan mountain range, and has been occupied since the Late Preclassic period (AD 150–500). At the height of its occupation in the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods (AD 600–1150), Tlayacapan was situated on the top of the hill. The radiocarbon investigations reported herein revealed some further distinct findings, although no clear absolute chronology was demonstrated. A dog skull was found inside the oldest foundation stage, and dated between cal AD 646 and 765, the middle of the Epiclassic period. Human remains found in the first grave belonged to three individuals. A male skeleton was dated to AD 1158–1227. Fragments of an incomplete skeleton of a child and an incomplete skeleton of a second male were placed on top of the first male skeleton and were dated in the range AD 1030–1156. A fourth skeleton found nearby in the second grave gave a similar date of AD 1164–1253. These burials were in accordance with the Middle America cosmovisional system, where bodies were buried beneath the household space. It is evident from the14C dates of the skeletons that the burial sites beneath the household space had been reused by exhuming and reburying skeletons that had been previously buried there. A comparison of dates on fractions of collagen and bioapatite of the same bones was possible. Two of the samples were in good agreement between these fractions, whereas the other three samples are close but just outside the 2σ range.

Radiocarbon Chronology of the Tlatoani Site at Tlayacapan, Morelos, Mexico

The archaeological site of Tlatoani at Tlayacapan is located in the Mexican Highlands, in the present-day state of Morelos. The site is an extant settlement located at the top of the Tepoztlan mountain range, and has been occupied since the Late Preclassic period (AD 150–500). At the height of its occupation in the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods (AD 600–1150), Tlayacapan was situated on the top of the hill. The radiocarbon investigations reported herein revealed some further distinct findings, although no clear absolute chronology was demonstrated. A dog skull was found inside the oldest foundation stage, and dated between cal AD 646 and 765, the middle of the Epiclassic period. Human remains found in the first grave belonged to three individuals. A male skeleton was dated to AD 1158–1227. Fragments of an incomplete skeleton of a child and an incomplete skeleton of a second male were placed on top of the first male skeleton and were dated in the range AD 1030–1156. A fourth skeleton found nearby in the second grave gave a similar date of AD 1164–1253. These burials were in accordance with the Middle America cosmovisional system, where bodies were buried beneath the household space. It is evident from the 14C dates of the skeletons that the burial sites beneath the household space had been reused by exhuming and reburying skeletons that had been previously buried there. A comparison of dates on fractions of collagen and bioapatite of the same bones was possible. Two of the samples were in good agreement between these fractions, whereas the other three samples are close but just outside the 2σ range.

CHANGING APPROACHES TO MAIZE PREPARATION AT CERRO PORTEZUELO

AbstractAnalyses of grinding tools at Cerro Portezuelo provide an unusual opportunity to study changing subsistence priorities. Evidence in the Teotihuacan and Mezquital Valley indicates that established patterns of dependence on maize may have been interrupted during the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods. Grinding tool collections in both locations contain unusually high frequencies of closed-surface grinding tools (trough metates and mortars), which are less efficient for intensive maize grinding than the open-surface tools commonly used during both the Classic and Late Postclassic periods. While analyzing the Cerro Portezuelo grinding tool collection presents many problems because of imprecise chronology, this collection also contains an unusually high frequency of closed-surface tools that can be attributed to its Epiclassic and Early Postclassic inhabitants. Thus, Cerro Portezuelo contributes to a growing picture of subsistence after the collapse of Teotihuacan in which maize was deemphasized and may have been replaced by amaranth and other foods.

THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF CERRO PORTEZUELO

AbstractExcavations at the site of Cerro Portezuelo, located on the lower slopes of a hill in Chimalhuacan, State of México, were begun by George Brainerd in 1954 and continued in 1955, but he died suddenly, before a projected third season could take place. With the exception of a few small structures higher on the hill, no signs of significant structures were visible on the surface. Architectural features revealed through excavation, however, included a platform with associated caches of the Middle Classic period, a platform and a burial area of the Epiclassic period, and a residential complex that appears to have spanned the Early and Late Postclassic periods. This complex included a sunken patio, a freestanding shrine, habitational rooms, and other features. Construction materials included stone, adobe brick, and tepetate.