Maya Ceramics, Parts i and ii: Papers from the 1985 Maya Ceramic Conference 9781407388458, 9781407388465, 9780860544449, 9781407346182

Table of contents :
PART I
Cover Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Formative Ceramic Sequence of Cuello, Belize
3. The Ceramic Sequence of Kichpanha 1979-1985
4. Putting Together the Pieces: Maya Pottery of Northern Belize and Central Peten, Guatemala
5. Terminal Classic to Early Historic Period Vessel Forms from Belize
6. Sequencia Cerámica Preliminar de Isla Cerritos, Costa Centro-Notre de Yucatán
7. The Ceramic Sequence of South-Central Quintana Roo, Mexico
8. La Cerámica del Clásico Temprano desde Mundo Perdido, Tikal: Una Reevaluación
9. Living on the Edge: The Ceramic Sequence of Piedras Negras, Guatemala
10. Ceramic Patterns and Traditions in the Palenque Area
PART II
REGIONAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL STUDIES 2: THE MAYA HIGHLANDS AND SOUTHEASTERN PERIPHERY
11. Preclassic Ceramics from the Salama Valley, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
12. Regional Ceramic Development in El Quiche and Baja Verapaz, Guatemala
13. Regional Ceramic Development in the Northern Highlands, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala: Classic and Postclassic Material
14. Recent Research on the Preclassic Ceramics of the Southeastern Highlands and Pacific Coast of Guatemala
15. Copan and its Neighbors: Patterns of Interaction Reflected in Classic Period Western Honduran Pottery
16. The Terminal Classic Ceramics of Cerro Palenque, Honduras: A Southeastern Outlier of the Boca Ceramic Sphere
17. Ceramic Systems: Facilitating Comparison in Type-Variety Analysis
18. Late Preclassic Development of Unslipped Pottery in the Maya Lowlands: The Evidence from El Mirador
19. A Re-evaluation of Protoclassic Orange Wares
20. The Significance of Volcanic Ash Tempering in the Cermaics of the Central Maya Lowlands
21. Southeast Maya Polychrome Pottery: Production, Disctribution, and Style
22. Lowland Maya Pottery Production in the Late Classic Period
23. Maya Pottery After 20 Years: Archaeological Implications

Citation preview

. Maya Ceramics Papers from the 1985 Maya Ceramic Conference edited by

Prudence M. Rice and Robert J. Sharer Part i

BAR International Series 345(i) 1987

B.A.R.

122 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 7BP, UK

GENERAL EDITORS A.R. Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R. Walker, M.A.

BAR-S345(i),1987 'Maya Ceramics', Part i © The Individual Authors, 1987 The authors’ moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9781407388458 (Volume I) paperback ISBN 9781407388465 (Volume II) paperback ISBN 9780860544449 (Volume set) paperback ISBN 9781407346182 (Volume set) e-format DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860544449 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

CONTENTS

PART

1 .

INTRODUCTION P rudence M .

REGIONAL AND

2 .

i

THE

CHRONOLOGICAL

FORMATIVE CERAMIC

R ice a nd R obert J .

STUDIES

1 :

SEQUENCE

OF

S harer

1

THE MAYA LOWLANDS

CUELLO,

BELIZE L aura J . 3 .

THE

CERAMIC

1979-1985

SEQUENCE

OF

K osakowsky

KICHPANHA:

SEASONS J r .

3 7

C hase

4 7

E lizabeth G raham

7 3

K athryn V . R eese a nd F red V aldez, 4 .

PUTTING TOGETHER THE PIECES: MAYA POTTERY OF NORTHERN BELIZE AND CENTRAL PETEN, GUATEMALA Arlen F .

5 .

6 .

C hase a nd D iane Z .

TERMINAL CLASSIC TO EARLY HISTORIC VESSEL FORMS FROM BELIZE

PERIOD

LA SECUENCIA CERAMICA PRELIMINAR DE ISLA CERRITOS, COSTA CENTRO-NORTE DE YUCATAN F ernando R obles C astellanos

7 .

THE CERAMIC SEQUENCE QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO

OF

9 .

F ry

1 11

J uan P edro L aporte y V ilma F ialko

1 23

LA CERAMICA DEL CLASICO TEMPRANO PERDIDO, TIKAL: UNA REEVALUACION

LIVING ON THE EDGE: THE CERAMIC PIEDRAS NEGRAS, GUATEMALA

DESDE

MUNDO

SEQUENCE

OF

G eorge R . 1 0.

9 9

SOUTH-CENTRAL R obert E .

8 .

1 5

CERAMIC PATTERNS AND PALENQUE AREA

TRADITIONS

IN

1 83

Rands

2 03

THE R obert L .

i ii

H olley

Part

REGIONAL AND

1 1.

CHRONOLOGICAL STUDIES 2 : THE MAYA HIGHLANDS AND SOUTHEASTERN PERIPHERY

PRECLASSIC CERAMICS FROM THE BAJA VERAPAZ, GUATEMALA R obert J .

1 2.

1 3.

1 4.

ii

SALAMA VALLEY,

S harer a nd D avid W .

S edat

2 41

A lain Ichon

2 77

REGIONAL CERAMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN HIGHLANDS, ALTA VERAPAZ, GUATEMALA: CLASSIC AND POSTCLASSIC MATERIAL Marie C harlotte A rnauld

3 07

REGIONAL CERAMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BAJA VERAPAZ, GUATEMALA

RECENT

RESEARCH ON THE

OF

SOUTHEASTERN

THE

COAST

OF

IN EL

QUICHE

PRECLASSIC CERAMICS

HIGHLANDS AND

PACIFIC

GUATEMALA A rthur A .

1 5.

COPAN AND

ITS

NEIGHBORS:

PATTERNS

INTERACTION REFLECTED IN CLASSIC WESTERN HONDURAN POTTERY P atricia A . 1 6.

D emarest

3 29

S chortman

3 41

OF PERIOD

U rban a nd E dward M .

THE TERMINAL CLASSIC CERAMICS OF CERRO PALENQUE, HONDURAS: A SOUTHEASTERN OUTLIER OF

THE

BOCA CERAMIC

SPHERE R osemary A .

SPECIAL

1 7.

TOPICS

STUDIES

H enderson a nd R icardo Agurcia F .

A RE-EVALUATION

OF

H ansen a nd D onald W .

F orsyth

THE THE

4 39

PROTOCLASSIC ORANGE WARES James E .

2 0.

4 31

LATE PRECLASSIC DEVELOPMENT OF UNSLIPPED POTTERY IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS: THE EVIDENCE FROM EL MIRADOR R ichard D .

1 9.

POTTERY

3 97

CERAMIC SYSTEMS: FACILITATING COMPARISON IN TYPE-VARIETY ANALYSIS J ohn S .

1 8.

IN MAYA

J oyce

Brady

SIGNIFICANCE OF VOLCANIC ASH TEMPERING CERAMICS OF THE CENTRAL MAYA LOWLANDS

IN

Anabel Ford a nd H arry G licken

iv

4 69

479

2 1.

SOUTHEAST MAYA POLYCHROME DISTRIBUTION, AND STYLE

POTTERY:

PRODUCTION,

M arilyn P . 2 2.

LOWLAND MAYA POTTERY LATE CLASSIC PERIOD

PRODUCTION

IN

B eaudry

THE

P rudence M . 2 3.

MAYA

POTTERY

AFTER

20

YEARS:

5 03

R ice

5 25

ARCHAEOLOGICAL

IMPLICATIONS D ean E .

Arnold

5 45

P ar t i

1 I n troduc t ion

P rudence M . R ice a nd R obert J . S harer

This volume i s a collection o f twenty-two papers presented at the 1 985 Maya Ceramic Conference, held i n Washington D .C. on December 3 -4, 1 985, under the sponsorship of t he National Endowment f or t he Humanities. Beneath this s imple s tatement, however, l ie s everal years o f organizational f rustrations and thwarted good intentions, for the history of the Maya Ceramic Conference i s a tale i n i tself.

THE

1 965

GUATEMALA C ITY CONFERENCE

The c onference h eld in Washington in 1 985 was not the only Maya ceramic conference ever to be convened. Twenty years earlier, t he f irst f ormally organized c onference dealing with the prehistoric pottery o f the Maya l owlands was h eld i n Guatemala C ity, Guatemala, August 9 -13, 1 965. O fficially t itled " The Conference on the P rehistoric Ceramics of the Maya L owlands," i t was o rganized by Gordon R . Willey with the f inancial support o f the National S cience F oundation a nd t he l ogistical cooperation of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia e Historia de Guatemala. The conference was convened to address a s eries o f s ubstantive, methodological, and theoretical i ssues that were of i nterest to Maya l owland a rchaeologists in the early 1 960s. T en s cholars with s pecial i nterests i n or knowledge of Maya c eramics participated i n this meeting: R ichard E . W . Adams, E . Wyllys Andrews IV, William R . Coe, T . Patrick Culbert, James C . G ifford, Robert L . Rands, J eremy A . S abloff, Robert E . Smith, Bruce W . Warren, and G ordon R . Willey. Two formal d ata presentation/discussion s essions were held each d ay, c omplemented by reviews o f the c eramic r eference collections in the Museo Nacional and extensive i nformal exchanges among t he participants throughout t he 1

P .M . Rice and R .J.

S harer

f ive days o f the conference. Notes on t he f ormal s essions w ere p repared e ach n ight by J . A. S abloff, who s erved a s c onference s ecretary, and were r eviewed by the c onferees e ach morning. T he c onclusions o f t he c onference p articipants were p ublished a s s ummary presentations i n American Antiquity ( Willey, C ulbert, a nd Adams 1 967) a nd E studios de C ultura Maya ( Culbert 1 967). T he n eed f or a Maya c eramic c onference i n t he mid1 960s c an b e t raced t o s everal c auses. I n t he p receeding d ecade t here had been a v irtual e xplosion of n ew but u npublished d ata f rom widely s eparated s ites and r egions t hroughout t he Maya a rea. T he p roliferation o f l ocal c omplexes a nd s equences throughout t he l owlands--newly r ecognized by a nalysts working e ssentially i n i solation-d emanded greater s haring a nd c omparison o f data in o rder t o d evolop s uccessful c eramic c hronologies and areal h istories. P erhaps more i mportant w as t he i ntroduction o f a n ew c lassificatory s ystem i n M aya c eramic s tudies, t ogether w ith s ome questions a bout i ts i mplementation. Maya c eramic s tudies t hrough t he 1 950s s aw a multitude o f l oosely s tructured a nd u nsystematized a pproaches t o a nalysis, b ased p rimarily on ware u nits. I n 1 960, h owever, t he t ype-variety s ystem o f c eramic c lassification, d eveloped i n t he S outhwestern United S tates ( Wheat, G ifford, a nd Wasley 1 958), was i ntroduced t o the M aya a rea ( Smith, W illey, and G ifford 1 960) a nd proved to b e the c atalyst f or s ignificant c hanges i n p ottery s tudies. The t ype-variety s ystem o ffered the potential f or typological c omparability on a s ite-to-site a nd analyst-to-analyst b asis, a nd thus t ighter, more r eliable chronological a ssessments a nd h istorical i nferences. D espite c onsiderable c onsultation and c orrespondence a bout t he new m ethod, t here w as s ome f eeling t hat i ts i mplementation m ight be p roblematic, a nd i t was hoped that an i ntensive, f ocused e xchange o f v iews would a id i n r esolving these i ssues. I t was particularly e vident t hat the s ystem's t axonomic u nits a nd working c oncepts would r equire c learer, more p recise d efinition b efore i ts promise m ight be f ulfilled. F rom t oday's p erspective t he 1 965 Guatemala C ity C onference c an b e s een to h ave h ad a n arrow and s potty g eographical c overage w ith uneven c hronological treatments, a nd t he c onceptual f ramework i t developed was l ittle more t han a t rial f ormulation. I n t he c ontext o f the 1 960s, and t he n eeds a nd g oals o f t he c onferees, h owever, the m eeting c an o nly b e c onsidered a s uccess. T o b egin w ith, f or t he f irst t ime a g roup of s cholars c oncerned with t he c lassification a nd i nterpretation o f p rehistoric l owland M aya pottery was able t o c arry o n an e xtended e xchange o f b oth s ubstantive data and t heoretical/methodological v iews. T he e xchange o f p reviously u nshared data a lone p roved o f i mmense value by 2

I ntroduction permitting l ocal a nd a rea-wide s yntheses o f l owland Maya ceramic developments with a degree o f precision n ever before possible. Even though i t was l imited i n e ffective coverage to t he P eten-Pasion-Belize v alley z ones, w ith o nly token treatment o f s uch r egions a s t he n orthern l owlands and t he Chiapas h ighlands, t hese s yntheses a llowed i nitial formulation o f a c ommon, a rea-wide c hronological f ramework i nvolving c eramic " horizons" defined on t he b asis o f s hared ceramic " horizon markers." At t he s ame t ime, a t rial outline o f l owland Maya c eramic h istory w as worked out a nd presented f or the f irst t ime, and thus l aid t he g roundwork f or many b roader i nferences concerning t he g eneral c ulture h istory o f the a rea. Methodologically a nd t heoretically, t he 1 965 c onference devoted c onsiderable a ttention t o c oncepts u sed by Maya c eramicists i n the e arly t o m id-1960s, a nd e ncouraged t heir c ritical e xamination. Their s hortcomings and ambiguities w ere c arefully r eviewed, with n ew c oncepts b eing developed a nd e xisting ones r efined a s n ecessary. A ll o f these were t hen defined a s c learly a nd e xplicitly a s p ossible a fter d iscussiom o f t heir i ntended analytical f unctions a nd i nterpretive s ignificance. The s ignal a chievement o f t he 1 965 G uatemala C ity c onference was t he d evelopment o f a s tandard, s ystematic m ethodological a nd t heoretical f ramework o f c eramic a nalysis i n t he M aya area, which s haped the main c ourse o f p ottery s tudies i n t he r egion f or t he n ext t wo d ecades. By f acilitating i nter-analyst s ite-to-site c eramic c omparisons a nd the d efinition o f t ight, a really c omparable l ocal c eramic c hronologies, t his f ramework made possible much o f t he h istorically-oriented r esearch i n t he a rea s ince 1 965.

THE NEED FOR THE

1 985

CONFERENCE

In t he t wenty y ears s ince t his f irst M aya c eramic c onference, c hanges i n the f ield o f American a rchaeology h ave had important c onsequences f or M aya r esearch. T hese d evelopments f all w ithin t he g eneral f ield o f Maya a rchaeology a s w ell a s within t he more s pecialized f ield o f c eramic s tudies, and their impact c learly e stablished the n eed f or a n ew M aya c eramic c onference. The most s ignificant o f these c hanges i s t he s heer i ncrease in t he amount o f a rchaeology done i n t he Maya a rea. The 1 965 G uatemala C ity c onference drew upon a vailable c eramic s equences f rom e leven s ites or s itea reas: T ikal, U axactun, B arton Ramie, A ltar d e S acrificios, S eibal, H olmul, D zibilchaltun, Mayapan, P alenque, P iedras N egras, Chiapa de C orzo--and on t he c umulative experience o f ten a rchaeologists/ceramicists. T he r esultant s ynthesis e ffectively c overed only the c entral P eten/Belize r egion o f t he c entral l owlands; t he n orthern l owlands, s outhern 3

P .M . R ice a nd R .J .

S harer

h ighlands, and peripheries were represented by o ne or t wo s ites e ach, or not at a ll. S ince 1 965 many archaeological projects have been undertaken throughout t he Maya area i n both h ighlands and l owlands by American, Guatemalan, Mexican, B ritish, Canadian, F rench, S alvadoran, a nd Honduran a rchaeologists. These p rojects have c ontributed l arge quantities o f data on areas underrepresented in t he e arlier c onference. As an example, in the 1 965 conference, the ceramic h istory o f t he northern l owlands was r epresented by data f rom only D zibilchaltun and Mayapan. S ince then ( 1965) o ver a dozen s eparate major i nvestigations h ave s erved t o f ill i n the p icture throughout Yucatan, Campeche, and Q uintana Roo--both coastal a nd i nland portions o f t he p eninsula. O f particular recent i nterest has b een the P ostclassic period, and a c ritical r e-evaluation o f the r ole o f ceramic-defined complexes i n bringing a bout a better u nderstanding of t he relationship between Coba, Chichen I tza, Mayapan, and adjacent areas during this p eriod ( e.g., Andrews and Robles 1 985; Lincoln 1 986; Fry, this volume, Robles this volume). The c entral and s outhern l owlands were r elatively well r epresented in t he original conference by s equences from e ight s ites i n f our subregions: central/northeast P eten, B elize, P asion, and western periphery. The western p eriphery i s r epresented h ere by t wo updated s equences ( Holley, this volume; Rands, this volume). Two P asion s ites, A ltar de S acrificios and S eibal, were represented at the earlier conference though the f inal ceramic r eports w ere p ublished i n the 1 970s ( Adams 1 971; S abloff 1 975). F or central Peten, the original conference r eported data f rom Uaxactun, T ikal, and Holmul; o f t hese s ites, o nly the Uaxactun data were relatively complete ( Smith 1 955). A lthough the ceramic history o f T ikal h as been reported in numerous publications ( e.g., Culbert 1 973, 1 977; Fry 1 979, 1 980), i t s till h as not b een published i n f inal form. More r ecently, P royecto Tikal of the I nstituto de Antropologia e H istoria de G uatemala h as undertaken excavation and r econstruction activities at the Late C lassic Group G c omplex and the E arly C lassic Mundo P erdido Complex a t the s ite center ( see Laporte and Fialko, this volume). I t i s the small country o f Belize where the most dramatic i ncrease in archaeological research has occurred i n t he l ast twenty years. While t he original 1 965 c onference r eported data only f rom Barton Ramie, the f inal r eport on the s ite was not available u ntil the mid-1970s ( Gifford 1 976). S ince 1 960 about a dozen s ites i n Belize-p rimarily i n northern B elize--have b een the focus of s izeable r esearch e fforts and c eramic a nalysis ( e. g., Chase a nd Chase, this volume; Reese a nd Valdez, t his volume. One o f the most dramatic discoveries i n t his area has b een pottery t hat i s a s early as any i n Mesoamerica ( see 4

I ntroduction Kosakowsky,

t his volume).

I n the original 1 965 c onference, the s outhern Maya a rea i ncluding t he G uatemala h ighlands, t he P acific c oast, and t he s outheastern p eriphery o f E l S alvador a nd H onduras, were not r epresented a t a ll ( except p erhaps t angentially by the c eramic data f rom Chiapa de C orzo). S ince 1 965 a g reat deal of w ork h as been done i n t hese a reas a nd h as i lluminated t he l ong h istory o f c omplex s ocioeconomic t ies b etween h ighlands a nd l owlands ( Sharer a nd S edat, t his volume). O n t he P acific coast, t he antiquity o f c oastal s edentism h as b een e xtended by p ottery s equences a t s everal s imilar s ites a long t he Chiapas l ittoral a rea ( Lowe 1 975), while in t he h ighlands a s eries o f major s ite p ottery s equences ( developed u sing type-variety-mode a nalysis) h as s erved to a nchor t he c ultural c hronology o f t hat a rea ( e.g. Wetherington 1 978; S harer 1 978). Regional s tudies-i ndicative o f a t rend to b reak away f rom s ingle-site o riented r esearch--in the Guatemala h ighlands have g reatly expanded o ur k nowledge o f t he t emporal a nd s patial d istributions o f s pecific pottery c lasses a nd modes ( Ichon, this volume; A rnauld, t his v olume). A s tudy o f P rotohistoric h ighland pottery ( Wauchope 1 970) r epresents an i nitial a nd i mportant a ttempt t o l ink a rchaeological ( ceramic) data t o e thnohistorical r econstructions. F inally, i n t he s outheastern p eriphery, a s eries o f r ecent a nd on-going s tudies h as c larified f or t he f irst t ime t he c eramic r elationships o f t he s outheastern l owlands to b oth t he Maya h ighlands a nd t he c entral l owlands ( e.g., J oyce, this v olume). I n a ddition, t he r esults o f t ype-variety-mode a nalyses are being i ntegrated w ith p roblem-oriented r esearch a imed a t b ehavioral a nd p rocessual questions. F or e xample, s tudies o f widespread h orizon markers, s uch a s C opador p ottery ( Beaudry, t his volume; U rban a nd S chortman, t his volume) a nd U sulutan p ottery ( Demarest a nd S harer 1 982; a lso D emarest, t his volume), a re y ielding i nsights i nto t he g rowth a nd p attern o f production a nd t rade i n t his r egion. C learly t here h as b een a dramatic r ise i n t he n umber o f a rchaeological p rojects u ndertaken i n t he M aya a rea i n t he l ast twenty y ears. There h as a lso b een an i ncrease i n t he number o f p eople and i nstitutions undertaking t hem. Whereas i n 1 965 t en archaeologist/ceramicists c ontributed t o the c onference, t oday t here i s a f ield o f a t l east f ifty f irst-, s econd-, a nd t hird-generation c eramicists a ctively w orking w ith a rchaeological p ottery i n t he Maya a rea. T he a mount o f a ctivity and t he volume o f r esultant s herds f rom t hese projects make i t i ncreasingly d ifficult f or most c eramicists t o g ain " hands-on" a cquaintance w ith a ll m aterials r elated t o their particular s ite o r r egion. At t he s ame t ime, the r ise i n f ieldwork h as underscored t he r eal n eed f or s uch f amiliarity i n o rder t o e stablish n ot o nly e ffective t ypological d istinctions b ut c ulture5

P .M . R ice a nd R .J. S harer h istorical

and s ite-relational

i nferences

a s well.

O ne o f t he c hanges i n t he g eneral f ield o f a rchaeology t hat has h ad s ignificant impact on M ayanists i s a c hange i n t he goals a nd objectives o f a rchaeological r esearch. T he b asic outline o f Maya prehistory i n t erms o f s pace-time r elations h as b een l argely a chieved, a nd attention i s c urrently f ocusing o n more s pecialized i ssues or problems p articular t o i ndividual p eriods. M any o f t hese i ssues a re s tudied d irectly o r i ndirectly through c eramic e vidence. O ne s uch p roblematical i nterval i s t he P rotoclassic period ( see Case 1 982; B rady, this volume); another i s the P ostclassic a nd c ontact p eriods, e specially t rade a nd d ocumentation o f e thnohistoric r ecords a nd e thnic groups. T he n ature o f t he C lassic-to-Postclassic transition i s a lso o f c onsiderable i nterest ( Graham, this volume), a s are h ighland-lowland political a nd e conomic interactions t hroughout t he course o f Maya c ivilization. The p uzzling o rigins o f t he v olcanic a sh t empering u sed i n C lassic Maya p ottery ( Ford and G licken, this volume) i s one aspect o f t his l atter q uestion that i s being i nvestigated. A s ignificant data b ase f or addressing t hese c oncerns h as b een--and w ill c ontinue to b e--archaeological p ottery. A s t he r esearch questions a ddressed b y Maya a rchaeologists b ecome b roader, s o t oo do t he a pproaches u sed by Maya c eramicists. D iscussion o f t axonomy s pecifically, while i t i s o f c ontinuing i nterest a nd i s r aised s poradically every f ew y ears, has been l argely s ubmerged by concern for b ehavioral o r " processual" i ssues. T his i s not entirely to t he g ood, because t he two k inds o f s tudies a re, rightly or w rongly, i nterrelated. R egardless o f t he u ltimate o bjective, the s tudy o f most a rchaeological pottery b egins w ith c lassification o f t he s herds i nto e stablished t axonomic units o r the adoption o f new units ( Henderson and Agurcia, t his v olume). T he p urposes o f s uch c lassification i s t o h ave a c ommon s et o f n amed r eferents f or u se in o utlining t he o ccupational h istory o f a s ite a nd comparing t hese s equences with t he h istory o f other s ites o f i nterest. F urther s tudies--modal, s tylistic, t echnological--are s ometimes u ndertaken ( and h ave s ignificance i n t heir own r ight), but t he i nitial step h as t raditionally b een c lassification b ecause t he primary o bjective h as t raditionally b een c ulture-history. W ith r espect t o t he Maya area specifically, Willey, C ulbert, a nd Adams ( 1967), i n their s ummary o f t he 1 965 c onference, r emark that p rior to 1 960 M ayanists' c eramic c lassifications were i ndividualistic and l ooselys tructured, b ased on r ather vague units c alled " wares" a nd o riented t oward c hronology-building. A fter 1 960, the f ocus o n n on-chronological, " processual" questions ( as well a s t he i ncrease i n n umbers o f M ayanists) d emanded an end to t his s omewhat anarchistic approach. T he type-variety s ystem o f c lassification w as adopted by practicing 6

I ntroduction c eramicists i n order t o d evelop c omparable taxonomic u nits a nd to p rovide a c ommon medium o f c ommunication. The a ssumption that t he more r igorous procedures o f the typev ariety s ystem w ere s omehow b etter s uited to b ehavioral i nferences was g enerally implicit ( and s ometimes explicit; G ifford 1 960), a s was t he a ssumption t hat c hronologybuilding would b e o f d iminished importance i n f uture c eramic s tudies. Whereas the c reation and description o f t axonomic units was t he o bjective o f e arlier c eramic s tudies, t oday t he creation o f s uch units i s only part o f a much b roader r ange of s tudies i n which p ottery i s r equired t o y ield data on a variety o f t opics a side f rom mere c hronology. F or t hese topics, i t i s o ften n ot t he t ypes a nd v arieties o f pottery t hat a re s ignificant units o f s tudy, but c rossc utting u nits s uch a s wares, decorative modes, o r f unctional complexes ( e.g., unslipped vessels, F orsyth a nd H ansen, t his volume) t hat w ill meet t he emerging n eeds o f production and f unction s tudies o f Maya pottery. I n addition, ethnoarchaeological r esearch c an b e e xpected t o be increasingly i mportant i n the Maya a rea ( e.g., Arnold, this volume), a s i t i s i n o ther c ulture a reas.

O RGANIZING THE

1 985 MAYA CERAMIC CONFERENCE

The 1 985 M aya C eramic C onference b egan i nnocently e nough a s an i ntriguing i dea i n 1 980, b ut during i ts l ong g estation period i t began t o t ake on h erculean--nay, s isyphean--proportions. The c onference u ltimately u nderwent s everal i ncarnations before c oming t o i ts s uccessful--albeit abbreviated--fruition i n Washington. I n March o f 1 980 R ice f elt i t was t ime t o b egin p lanning the o rganization o f a s econd c eramic c onference, a nd s ent o ut l etters to c olleagues a sking f or e xpressions o f interest i n s uch a c onference, opinions on f ormat, s ize, a nd l ocation, a nd s o f orth. Apparently s everal o ther Mayanists h ad a lso i ndependently determined t hat t his was a p ropitious t ime t o o rganize a n ew c eramic c onference, f or t here were r umblings i n many quarters a long t hese s ame l ines. The r esponse was g enerally e nthusiastic, r espondents h ighlighting n eed f or s uch a c onference r esulting f rom t he amount o f n ew work s ince t he l ast c onference, t he exclusion o f the highlands and s outheastern p eriphery f rom t he f irst meeting, a nd t he i ncreasing d iversity o f approaches within t he f ield o f c eramic analysis. T he " first o rganizational meeting" f or t he M aya Ceramic Conference was held b etween R ice, S harer, a nd Joseph B all a t D umbarton O aks i n t he k itchen o f the d irector's h ome on O ctober 1 8, 1 980. The c onference p lans were ambitious: three r egional c onferences f ocusing on t he 7

P .M . R ice and R .J . S harer northern l owlands, southern l owlands, and highlands and P acific coast. These were each t o b e one week l ong and would be held in Yucatan and Guatemala City in order to f acilitate p articipation of Latin American c olleagues and access to relevant collections. F inancial support would be s ought f rom the National S cience Foundation and the National Endowment f or the Humanities. The planned date f or holding t he c onferences was F ebruary o f 1 983. I n June of 1 982 the NSF and NEH proposals were s ubmitted; N SF rejected the p roposal, while NEH awarded R ice a grant supporting the Maya ceramic conference. From the v iewpoint of the NEH accounting d epartment, this was to be an a ct that would l ive in infamy, f or the Maya Ceramic Conference g rant has no doubt gone t hrough more extensions than any other grant in their history. Thoroughly--if somewhat naively--convinced o f the desirability of holding the ceramic c onference outside the United States, we the organizers doggedly pursued a lternative f unding s trategies t o s upport travel, s ubsistence, and publication c osts o f t he c onference. The date was postponed to f all o f 1 983 and proposals were s ubmitted to t he Organization o f American S tates, Tinker Foundation, and the University of F lorida i nternal grants c ompetition. We a lso i nvestigated t he possibility of holding a School o f American Research conference in S anta F e. A ll these e fforts were f or n aught. At that point, we s taged a retreat to l ick our wounds a nd rethink our strategy. I n t he meantime, other c ommitments had forced one o f the original p lanners ( Ball) t o withdraw f rom an active role in organizing the conference. We optimistically continued to p lan f or a c onference outside the US, and d ecided t o l imit the s cope and duration o f the conference to hold down f unding costs. I n June-July o f 1 983, Rice t raveled to G uatemala City and s ecured the kind cooperation o f S r. F ederico Fahsen ( then d irector o f I NGUAT, the government t ourist agency o f Guatemala) and the auspices o f I NGUAT i n making a rrangements f or the conference. This t hird i ncarnation o f the c onference was p lanned as a one-week event in l ate F ebruary o f 1 984 in Guatemala C ity. The r est, a s they s ay, i s h istory. I n August of 1 983 t here was a coup in Guatemala that, among other things, r esulted i n changes in many bureaucratic personnel, i ncluding INGUAT. One consequence o f this was the withdrawal of the original o ffers o f s upport i n Guatemala. I n addition, the c onference participants were beginning to question s eriously the wisdom of t ravelling to Guatemala g iven t he political violence there. Abandoning Guatemala, but

a ll hope o f holding a ny unwavering in our e fforts 8

conference to hold

i n the

I ntroduction

meeting outside the U .S., we made one l ast-ditch try, this t ime f or a gathering in Chiapas in February of 1 985. Again tantalizing prospects for l ocal support did not come through, a nd at t hat point we were forced to abandon our efforts to hold the c onference in Latin America. S alvaging what l ittle we could of t he original i ntent of the conference, we s cheduled i t to coincide with the meeting o f the American Anthropological Association i n Washington D .C. i n December of 1 985. Despite the many false s tarts, we were gratified at the t urnout i n Washington: a total o f 3 0 papers were presented and attendance r eached as many as 1 00 people at the two-day s essions. B ecause o f a publication funding deadline, we imposed a deadline f or submission of papers p resented at the 1 985 conference for inclusion in this volume. The papers i ncluded h ere represent those submitted prior to that deadline. A ll in a ll, there i s probably a l esson to be l earned in this murky saga, but the two organizers are l eaving i t to f uture generations to determine what this might be. Despite the p roblems with organizing the conference, i t was u ltimately a s uccessful event, and we want to express our thanks to the participants for their help ( and p atience!) in b ringing it about. We a re particularly grateful to the National Endowment f or t he Humanities for t heir s upport o f t he conference and the publication of this volume, and for awarding an endless number o f extensions under c ircumstances that must have strained their c redulity. F inally, we deeply appreciate the wordp rocessing assistance of Ms. J enette S avell, who typed and h elped edit the p apers for publication.

References

ADAMS, 1 971

R .E. W. The Ceramics of A ltar de Sacrificios, P apers of t he Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

ANDREWS, A .P., AND F . ROBLES C . 1 985 " Chichen I tza and Coba: An I tza Maya Standoff in E arly Postclassic Yucatan," i n The Lowland Maya Postclassic, eds. A .F. Chase and P . M. Rice, pp. 6 2-72 ( Austin: University o f Texas Press). CASE, 1 982

P . " Type-Variety Analysis Ceramics o f E l Pozito, M . A. Thesis, San D iego

9

and the Protoclassic Belize: A Critical Review," State University.

P .M . R ice a nd R .J . S harer

CULBERT, T .P. 1 967 " Preliminary Report of the Conference on the Preh istoric Ceramics of the Maya Lowlands," E studios de Cultura Maya, no. 6 , pp. 8 1-109. Mexico. 1 973

" The Maya Downfall at Tikal," in The Classic Maya Collapse, ed. T .P. Culbert, pp. 6 3-92 (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

1 977

" Early Maya Development at T ikal, Guatemala," in The Origins of Maya Civilization, ed. R . E. W. Adams, pp. 2 7-43 ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

DEMAREST, A ., AND R .J. SHARER 1 982 " The Origins and Evolution o f U sulutan Ceramics," American Antiquity 4 7(4):810-822. FRY, 1 979

1 980

R .E. " The Economics of Pottery at Tikal, Guatemala: Models o f Exchange for Serving Vessels," American Antiquity 4 4:492-512. " Models o f Exchange for Major Shape C lasses o f Lowland Maya Pottery," in Models and Methods in Regional Exchange, ed. R .E. F ry, SAA P apers 1 :3-18.

G IFFORD, J .C. 1 960 " The Type-Variety Method of as an I ndicator of Cultural Antiquity 2 5(3):341-347. 1 976

Ceramic C lassification P henomena," American

P rehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics of Barton Ramie in the Belize Valley. Peabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ.).

L INCOLN, C .E. 1 986 " The Chronology o f Chichen Itza: A Review of the L iterature," in Late Lowland Maya C ivilization: C lassic to Postclassic, eds. J . A. Sabloff and E . W. Andrews V , pp. 1 41-196 ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press). LOWE, 1 975

G . W. The Early Preclassic Barra Phase of Altamira, Chiapas: A Review with New Data, Papers o f t he New World Archaeological Foundation no. 3 8. Provo, Utah.

SABLOFF, J . A. 1 975 Excavations at Seibal: Ceramics, Peabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 3(2) ( Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Univ.).

1 0

I ntroduction

SHARER, 1 978

R . J. "Pottery," i n The Prehistory of C h a l c hli a p a ., El Salvador, vol. 3 , pp. 1-203 ( Phil a .del p hi a .: U niversity of Pennsylvania Press).

SMITH, 1 955

R . E. Ceramic Sequence at Uaxactun, Gu a t e m a l a , M i ddl e American Research Institute Publ i c a . ti o n 20 (New Orleans: Tulane University).

SMITH, 1 960

R . E., G . R. W ILLEY, AND J .C. GIFFO R D "The Type-Variety Concept a s a Ba s i s f o r t he Analysis o f Maya Pottery," Ameri c a n A n t i q u i ty 25:330-340.

WAUCHOPE, R . 1 970 " Protohistoric Pottery of the Gu a .t e l ands," Monographs and Papers in M a _ ed. W . R. B ullard, pp. 8 9-243. Pa p e r Museum, vol 6 1 ( Cambridge, Mass. : H

m a l a n H i ghy a A r c h aeol ogy, s c : •E t h e Peabody a r v a r d Univ.).

WETHERINGTON, R .K. 1 978 The Ceramics of Kaminaljuyu, Gua .te mal a . P ark: Pennsylvania State Unive r s i t y) . WHEAT, 1 958

WILLEY, 1 967

( U ni versity

J .B., J .C. G IFFORD, AND W .W. WAS L E Y " Ceramic Variety, Type C luster, a n d C e r a mi c in Southwestern Pottery Anal ys i s, " A m e r i can Antiquity 2 4:34-47.

System

G .R., T .P. CULBERT, AND R . E. W. A D A MS " Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Re po r t f r o m t h e 1965 Guatemala City Conference," Am e r i c a n A n t i quity 3 2:289-315.

1 1

R eg iona l a nd C h rono log ica l S tud ies 1 : T he M aya L ow lands

2 The Formative Ceramic Sequence of Cuello, Belize ·'

--

Laura J � \Kos akows ky

Archa�ological research in northern Belize has produced a ceramic sequence that begin� in t�e Early Formative or Preclassic period about 2000 BC and: extends into the tHistoric period. Excavations at the 'site of Cuello (Fig. 1), located between the modern,;town, of Orangewalk and Yo Creek, beginning in the early:1970s: and temporarily halted in 1980, demonstrated an unu�uall� old and previously unknown ceramic sequence for th� lowland Maya area� The original research on the Cuello' ceramics was conducted by Duncan Pring (1977) and ,haid � the groundwork for the current Cuello ceramic}: typ�logy. Further excavations and a larger sample of ceram·ic:,s allowed refinement of the initial typology. The an�lysi�_.-·of the ceramics from Cuello uses the traditional type­ variety classification system to order. ·the� ceramics , chronologically. The earliest ceramic complex identified at ·.cuellq is the Swasay complex (Table 1), with radiocarbpn' dates placing it ·-roughly between 2000 BC and 1200 o::··of'1100 BC. Much debate has been centered on both the raoiocarbon dates and the Swasey ceramics themselves owing to their supposed techn9logical and stylistic "sophistication" (Marcus 1983; While standard deviations in radiocarbon Hammond 1984). dates may change the final assessment of the Cuello date� by a couple of hundred years or so, it is irrefutable that Swasey pottery is indeed stratigraphically older than ahd typologicatly dissimilar to Middle Formative potterf. Although modal similarities may be identified between almost any two collections of pottery, it seems most likely that the antecedents to Swasey ceramics still lie in the ground in the Maya area. Swasey pottery is fairly simple in design, form, and execution. Vessel forms tend to be vertical, slightly flaring, or recurving sided bowls and dishes with direct 15

i

L aura J .

K osakawsky

t 3) • H 0

northern

• H

1 6

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello

Table

1 .

Major

Types

o f

the

Swasey

Complex

UNSPECIFIED WARE Copetilla Group Copetilla Unslipped: Copetilla Variety Yotolin Pattern-burnished: Variety Unspecified

RIO

NUEVO GLOSSY WARE

Consejo Group Consejo Red: Consejo Variety Backlanding I ncised: Backlanding Variety Backlanding I ncised: Grooved-incised Variety Pettville Red-and-cream: Pettville Variety Pettville Red-and-cream: Unnamed variety Other Consejo Ceramic Group: Unspecified M achaca Group Machaca B lack: Machaca Variety Chacalte I ncised: Chacalte Variety FORT C hicago Group Chicago Orange:

GEORGE ORANGE WARE

Chicago

Variety

or thickened r ims and s quared l ips ( Fig. 2 ). Jars have medium t o h igh o utcurving n ecks, thickened r ims, t he e asily i dentifiable Swasey s quare l ips, and double or t riple c ylinder strap handles ( Fig. 3 ). Approximately 5 8% o f the ceramic a ssemblage at any one time i s composed of t he monochrome red g roup, Consejo, a vermilion r ed ( Munsell: l OR 4 /8; s ee a lso Appendix A f or Munsell color n otations of a ll Swasey types) with a pinkish, t an, gray, o r white underslip. This i s f ollowed in diminishing n umbers by t he Chicago Orange group ( 29%), the Copetilla U nslipped group ( 9%), and the Machaca B lack group ( 4%). S lips a re generally s lightly g lossy with l ittle crackling o r crazing, though f ireclouding occurs occasionally, and r ootlet erosional marks are common o n a ll the Swasey p ottery. Of t he s lipped pottery, which comprises 9 0% o f t he ceramic a ssemblage at any one time, approximately 2 5% i s decorated i n s ome f ashion. This includes groove i ncising and d ichrome s lips, with a f ew examples o f f ine l ine i ncising, modeling, punctation, and b lack smudging. P attern burnishing appears to b e p resent on unslipped b ottles s imilar to material f ound at Mani Cenote i n the Y ucatan peninsula ( Brainerd 1 951), a lthough t he date of t he Mani material i s currently in question. 1 7

L aura J . K osakowsky

F ig,

2 .

Typical

bowl/dish f orms o f

t he

Swasey c omplex.

I t i s not c lear whether Swasey material has been i dentified a t o ther s ites i n northern B elize d ue to the l ater r adiocarbon d ates a t these o ther s ites, and the f act t hat t here i s s ome t ypological o verlap w ith t he s ucceeding l ate E arly F ormative c omplex. I f S wasey material i s c onfirmed a t other s ites, then t he c eramics will be p laced i n the t entatively i dentified Swasey s phere. At Cuello, t he S wasey c omplex i s f ollowed by the B laden c omplex ( Table 2 ), b eginning a bout 1 200 or 1 100 BC a nd c ontinuing until approximately 7 00 B C. T his c omplex i s a m ix o f c eramics o riginally c alled " Late Swasey" at C uello by P ring ( 1977), " Xe" a s i dentified by Adams a t A ltar de S acrificios ( 1971), and " Late Swasey/Early Mamom" at C olha by Adams a nd Valdez ( 1981). T he B laden c omplex i s marked b y t he appearance o f c ream s lipped pottery, a nd r ed-onc ream d ecoration t hat augurs t he r ed-on-creams o f t he s ucceeding Mamom s phere c eramics. 1 8

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C ue l b

1 4 .

1 0 % 1 9

L aura J . K osakcwsky Table

2 .

Major Types

of

the

B laden

Complex

UNSPECIFIED WARE Copetilla Group Copetilla Unslipped:

Gallon Jug Variety

RIO NUEVO GLOSSY WARE Consejo Group Consejo Red: Estrella Variety Barquedier Grooved-incised: Barquedier Variety Fireburn Red-and-cream: Fireburn Variety Fireburn Red-and-cream: Unnamed variety Cudjoe Red-and-unslipped: Cudjoe Variety Cudjoe Red-and-unslipped: Unnamed variety Other Consejo Ceramic Group: Unspecified Machaca Group Machaca B lack: Wamil Variety Chacalte I ncised: Yo Creek Variety Quamina Group Quamina Cream: Quamina Variety Tower Hill Red-on-cream: Tower Hill Variety Tower Hill Red-on-cream: Unnamed variety ( resist) Other Quamina Ceramic Group: U nspecified

FORT

GEORGE ORANGE WARE

Chicago Group Chicago Orange: Nago Bank Variety Cotton Tree I ncised: Cotton Tree Variety UNSPECIFIED WARE Honey

Camp Group Honey Camp Orange-brown: Honey Camp Variety Copper Bank I ncised: Copper Bank Variety

Once again, monochrome red pottery dominates the complex, representing 5 6%. The Consejo ( red) g roup continues in the B laden Complex, a lthough the color of the s lip i s now more consistent, achieved in part by a more consistent cream or a lmost white underslip. In d iminishing numbers t he monochrome r eds are followed by the Chicago ( orange) group ( 24%), the Honey Camp ( orangebrown) group ( 15%), and the remaining 5 % made up of the Copetilla ( unslipped), Machaca ( black), and Quamina ( cream) groups. S lip colors and textures are s imilar to the Swasey complex, being f airly g lossy and non-waxy. Vessel f orms a lso are s imilar to the Swasey ones with the 2 0

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello a ddition o f f laring s ided d ishes, a nd t he replacement o f t hickened r ims a nd s quared l ips with direct or exterior f olded rims and r ound l ips ( Fig. 4 ). A lthough there may be s ome c ontinuation o f t he u se o f d ouble o r triple c ylinder s trap h andles, they a re l argely r eplaced by l oop handles with i ncisions, i n e ffect mocking the cylinder handles. The s lipped p ottery s hows an even greater percentage o f d ecoration, 3 6%, c onsisting o f incising, groove i ncising, d ichrome s lips, punctation, modeling, and r esist painting ( Fig. 5 ).

F ig.

4 .

Typical

bowl/dish forms o f

t he

B laden complex.

I t i s c lear that B laden-like material h as been e xcavated at t he s ites o f Colha ( Adams and Valdez 1 981; K osakowsky a nd Valdez 1 982), K ichpanha ( Valdez, personal c ommunication), Nohmul ( Kosakowsky, c urrent r esearch), E l P ozito, S anta R ita, and S an E stevan ( Hammond 1 974-1975) i n n orthern Belize. I n addition, t he B laden c eramics show a s trong o verlap with the Xe complex c eramics at A ltar de 2 1

L aura J . K osakcwsky

5 cms

F ig. 5 . ( Bladen

Tower H ill c omplex).

Red-on-cream:

T ower H ill

variety

S acrificios ( Adams 1 971). Consejo Red i s much l ike Abelino Red, t he A ltar de S acrificios monochrome red, and Huetche White i dentified by Adams ( 1971) at Altar d e S acrificios i s s imilar t o the underslip f ound on many o f the Consejo Red s herds at Cuello, which may explain the r arity o f white s lipped s herds at northern Belize s ites. Chacalte I ncised: Chacalte variety, a Cuello b lack type with post-slip i ncisions, i s virtually i ndistinguishable f rom Chompipi I ncised: Chompipi variety at Altar de S acrificios ( Kosakowsky, p ersonal o bservation, P eabody Museum 1 981). An examination o f the E h complex material f rom t he s ite o f T ikal s uggests further modal s imilarities between t he Cuello and P eten material during the late Early Formative. Aac R ed-on-buff at T ikal i s s imilar in vessel f orm and s lip c haracteristics t o Consejo Red, and there i s s ome overlap between the Chicago Orange t ype at Cuello and Calam Buff a t T ikal ( Culbert, personal communication). I n l ight o f a ll t he evidence, a lthough d iscrepancies in r adiocarbon dates exist f rom s ite to s ite, it s eems probable t hat t he l ate Early Formative B laden complex at Cuello s hould b e i ncluded within a B laden/Xe sphere of ceramics, encompassing much o f the pre-Mamom pottery f ound at many s ites i n northern B elize and P eten. The B laden 2 2

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello complex at Cuello s uggests c lose typological s imilarities with ceramics f rom central P eten and the P asion River drainage, a lthough s ome regionalization still exists. S lip and vessel form combinations that overlap with early Mamom pottery cloud the i ssue; however the same regional ceramic sphere affiliations that become even more apparent in the Middle and Late F ormative may now in fact be extended f arther back to i nclude the l atter part of the Early Formative. Mamom sphere pottery makes its appearance at Cuello beginning about 7 00 BC and i s called the Lopez c omplex ( Table 3 ). There i s remarkable standardization in types a nd varieties from s ite to s ite in the Middle Preclassic, and Cuello is no exception. Monochrome reds of the Joventud ( red) group once again dominate, comprising roughly 4 0% of the ceramic assemblage. The remaining c eramic groups i nclude the Chicago ( orange) g roup ( 33%), the Muxanal ( red-on-cream) group ( 19%), the Achiotes ( unslipped) group ( 4%), and the remaining 3 % are split between the Chunhinta ( black) and P ital ( cream) groups.

Table

3 .

Major Types

of

the

UAXACTUN ( Achiotes?) Group Richardson Peak

Lopez

Complex

UNSLIPPED WARE

Unslipped:

Richardson

Peak Variety

FLORES WAXY WARE Joventud Group Joventud Red: Palmasito Variety Guitara I ncised: Grooved-incised Variety Desvario Chamfered: Desvario Variety Other Joventud Ceramic Group: Unspecified Chunhinta Group Chunhinta B lack: Chunhinta Variety Deprecio I ncised: Grooved-incised Variety Pital

Group P ital Cream: Variety Unspecified Paso D anto I ncised: Variety Unspecified

Muxanal Group Muxanal Red-on-cream: Lazaro Variety Other Muxanal Ceramic Group: Unspecified FORT Chicago Group Chicago Orange:

GEORGE ORANGE WARE

Warrie 2 3

Camp Variety

L aura J . K osakowsky L opez c omplex s lips are g enerally f airly waxy, non-glossy, t hick, a nd s oft. F ire c rackling, crazing, a nd f ireclouding a re a ll c ommon. O f t he s lipped pottery, which n ow r epresents 9 6% o f the c eramic a ssemblage, a pproximately 4 4% i s d ecorated i n s ome f ashion; e ither by means o f groove i ncising, which p redominates, or d ichrome s lips, c hamfering, and modeling. The predominant vessel f orm i s t he outflaring or outcurving s ided dish o r p late w ith e xterior f olded o r d irect r im and round l ip. O ften the d ish h as g roove i ncising around the i nterior o f the everted r im w ith t he d ouble-line b reak motif ( Fig. 6 ). There i s a n abundance o f r ed-on-cream d ecoration, w ith p lates o r d ishes s lipped r ed on t he i nterior, and c ream w ith r ed dots o r vertical o r diagonal s tripes on the e xterior. There a re a lso l arge n umbers o f thin walled i ncurving b owls or tecomates, b ottle t ops, a nd spouts. There c ontinues to be s ome r egional variation i n the Mamom s phere i n northern B elize a t this time. For e xample, t o t he s outh o f C uello a t the s ite of B arton Ramie, t here a re apparently d ifferent c eramic modes

g \ ' \\ 5 cm&

F ig.

6 .

T ypical

d ish/plate 2 4

f orms

o f

t he

Lopez

complex.

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello ( Gifford 1 976), while to the north, at Cerros, Robertson ( 1980) reports the c omplete a bsence o f Mamom s phere pottery. At other s ites such a s Colha ( Adams and Valdez 1 981) a nd Nohmul ( Kosakowsky, current research), however, the Mamom c eramics are astonishingly s imilar to Cuello material. At Cuello t he Lopez Mamom c omplex e nds at a bout 4 00 BC. The l ate Mamom transition to the Late Formative Chicanel s phere, c alled the Cocox c omplex ( Table 4 ) at Cuello, i s marked by c eramics that are a mix at the modal l evel, sharing attributes of Mamom and Chicanel pottery. The early f acet o f the Cocos complex begins a t approximately 4 00 BC and ends a bout 3 00 or 2 50 BC. I t i s s inilar to both t he T zec complex at T ikal ( Culbert, p ersonal c ommunication) and t he l ate f acet o f the Chiwa c omplex at Colha ( Adams and Valdez 1 981; Kosakowsky and Valdez 1 982). This Mamom/Chicanel mix i s marked by t he i ntroduction o f C hicanel vessel f orms r etaining s ome o f t he groove i ncised decoration previously described f or the Lopez c omplex on t he t raditional Mamom waxy, s oft, t hick s lip. A lthough Robertson ( 1980) r eports the absence of Mamom p ottery at Cerros, personal observation o f t he material s uggests that her e arliest complex, called I xtabai, does s how s ome Mamom f eatures and may a lso b elong w ithin t he M amom/Chicanel continuum. The Chicanel s phere continues at Cuello, and at about 3 00 or 2 50 BC i t i s marked by t he appearance of typical C hicanel pottery found at a lmost every s ite i n the Maya l owlands, s howing g reater s tandardization f rom s ite to s ite t han in a ny o f the previous periods. Once again, at Cuello t he monochrome r eds of the S ierra g roup predominate, c onstituting 7 3% of the ceramic a ssemblage. This i s f ollowed in decreasing n umbers by t he Chicago ( orange) g roup ( 16%) a nd the P aila ( unslipped) and S apote ( unslipped, striated) groups ( 4%), with t he r emaining 7 % c omposed o f the P olvero ( black), F lor ( cream), Matamore ( dichrome), and E scobal ( red-on-buff) g roups. S lips are s lightly waxy a t the beginning o f the Cocos complex, but b ecome h arder a nd g lossier toward the end of t he L ate F ormative. F ireclouding i s common. Ninety-six p ercent of t he Cocos c omplex i s s lipped, a nd 2 3% of the s lipped pottery i s decorated. Decorative techniques have expanded to include i ncising, p unctation, impressing, applique, modeling, molding, and the use o f d ichrome and, l ate i n the c omplex, e ven t richrome s lips. Vessel forms ( Fig. 7 ) are h ighly variable with outcurving s ided buckets and bowls, i ncurving bowls, c omposite s ilhouette vessels w ith medial and labial f langes, and j ust about anything imaginable, i ncluding an amphora.

2 5

L aura J . K osakowsky

Table

4 .

Major

Types

of

the

Cocos

Complex

UAXACTUN UNSLIPPED WARE ( Paila?) Group Richardson Peak

Unslipped

( Cocos):

Richardson

P eak

Variety S apote Group S apote Striated:

Variety Unspecified

PASO CABALLO WAXY WARE S ierra Group S ierra Red: Ahuacan Variety Ahchab Red-and-buff: Variety U nspecified S ierra Red: S ierra Variety S ierra Red: Big Pond Variety Society Hall Red: Society Hall Variety Society Hall Red: Bound to Shine Variety Society Hall Red: Unnamed variety ( dichrome) Laguna Verde I ncised: Grooved-incised Variety Laguna Verde Incised: Laguna Verde Variety L agartos Punctated: Lagartos Variety Repollo Impressed: Variety Unspecified Union Appliqued: Variety Unspecified Puletan Red-and-unslipped: Puletan Variety P uletan Red-and-unslipped: Unnamed variety Other S ierra Ceramic Group: Unspecified Polvero Group Polvero B lack: Polvero Variety Lechugal I ncised: Grooved-incised Variety F lor Group F lor Cream:

Variety

Matamore Group Matamore D ichrome:

Unspecified

Matamore

E scobal Group E scobal Red-on-buff:

FORT Chicago Group Chicago Orange: Chicago Orange:

Variety

Variety Unspecified

GEORGE

ORANGE WARE

Chucun Variety Chucun Variety

2 6

( Black-rimmed)

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello

Fig.

7 .

Typical

vessel

f orms

2 7

of

the

Cocos

c omplex.

L aura J . K osakaasky One easily i dentifiable pottery t ype t hat l inks Cuello t o other northern Belize s ites and even to the c entral P eten a nd P asion R iver s ites i s S ociety H all Red. Originally called the S ociety Hall variety of S ierra Red a t B arton R amie ( Gifford 1 976), a nd the X aibe variety o f S ierra Red at Cuello ( Pring 1 977), i t has s ince been e levated to a type i n i ts own r ight ( Kosakowsky 1 983). The l arge s ample s ize and variety encountered in the s ample a t C uello s uggests this interpretation to be most appropriate. This p ottery t ype i s characterized by a g lossy s treaky f inish achieved by successive wipings of t he s lip onto t he vessel. A lthough Society Hall Red i s i n the S ierra Red group, the variability o f s urface c olors i s g reat, r anging f rom brown and maroon through red, o ranger ed, o range, and yellow-orange. B y t he e nd of t he Cocos c omplex at about AD 2 50-300 the s lip colors and t extures o f S ociety H all Red and most o f t he other ceramic types a re approaching the g lossiness of C lassic period ceramics. At Cuello, by the e nd o f t he Cocos complex there is a g reat deal o f e xperimentation i n t he u se o f the S ociety Hall wiping t echnique and d ichrome and trichrome s lips r eminiscent o f C lassic period p olychromes, a lthough t echnologically and s tylistically f ar l ess s ophisticated. There i s a lso the i ntroduction o f vessel forms l ike C lassic period f orms, i ncluding a b asal f lange bowl with r ing b ase on a S ierra Red p ot. I t s eems l ikely t hat at Cuello, and p erhaps a t o ther northern Belize s ites, old t raditions may have d ied h ard and Chicanel sphere p ottery c ontinued to be manufactured l ong into the C lassic p eriod, when P eten s ites have a lready embarked on t he polychrome t radition. The evidence f rom s ome o ther northern B elize s ites s uch a s Cerros ( Robertson 1 980), Colha ( Adams and Valdez 1 981), a nd Nohmul ( Kosakowsky, c urrent research) s uggests that Cuello may have been s omething o f a cultural b ackwater during the very Late Formative. I t i s c lear that a ll northern Belize s ites, including Cuello, b elong i n t he Chicanel c eramic sphere, a lthough s ome o f the more prominent northern B elize s ites such as C erros, S anta R ita, L amanai, Colha, a nd Nohmul, owing to t heir geographic l ocations on t he r ivers or a s part o f the l arger t rading networks, more c losely p arallel the c eramic d evelopment i n c entral P eten. Certainly there i s an i ncreasing trend toward s tandardization o f c eramic manufacture among s ites i n northern B elize, a nd with s ites i n t he r est o f the Maya l owlands f rom t he beginning u ntil t he e nd o f the Formative period. I n s ummary, i dentification o f e arly Swasey s phere p ottery i s a s y et confined to t he s ite o f Cuello beginning a bout 2 000 BC a nd e nding a bout 1 200 or 1 100 BC. T he i ntroduction o f ceramics o f t he B laden/Xe sphere at Cuello 2 8

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello at about 1 200 or 1 100 BC marks the beginning of known a ffiliations with many other s ites in n orthern Belize and a f ew i n t he Peten and P asion R iver area. Broad regionalization in c eramic s tyles c ontinues throughout this period, with only s ome increasing s imilarities beginning with the Mamom s phere and the Lopez c omplex at Cuello, at about 7 00 BC. By 4 00-300 BC, the beginning o f the Chicanel ceramic sphere, a nd the Cocos c omplex at Cuello, the ceramic a ssemblage f rom one s ite i s often virtually i ndistinguishable f ron any other i n t he M aya l owlands. By the end of the Formative period at about AD 2 50 to 3 00, Cuello continues to manufacture Chicanel-like pottery, with the C lassic period c eramic traditions s lowly being adopted. Cuello seems to d istinguish i tself both at the beginning o f i ts ceramic sequence by the presence of a heretofore unknown and e xceptionally e arly c eramic a ssemblage, and at the end of the F ormative period by v irtue . of its being s omething of a c ultural b ackwater.

Acknowledgments Research on t he Cuello ceramics was made possible by the generosity o f Norman H ammond, director o f the Cuello Project, f unded by the National G eographic S ociety, t he Wenner-Gren Foundation, t he B ritish Museum, a nd the University o f Arizona. The original c eramic typology was developed by Duncan Pring, without whose help the current research would h ave b een impossible. Additional comments and aid have been provided by P at Culbert, F red Valdez, Jr., Robin Robertson, a nd C arol G ifford.

References ADAMS, 1 971

R .E. W. The C eramics o f A ltar de S acrificios, Papers o f t he P eabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

ADAMS, 1 981

R .E. W., AND F . VALDEZ, JR. " The C eramics o f Colha After Three S easons ( 19791 981)," paper p resented a t t he 4 6th Annual Meeting o f t he S ociety f or American Archaeology, S an D iego.

BRAINERD, 1 951

G . W. " Early C eramic Horizons i n Yucatan," i n The Civilizations o f Ancient America, ed. S ol Tax, S elected P apers o f the 2 9th I nternational Congress o f Americanists 1 :72-78 ( Chicago: University o f Chicago Press).

2 9

L aura J . K osakcwsky GIFFORD, 1 976

J .C. Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics of Barton Ramie i n the B elize Valley, Peabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

HAMMOND, N . 1 974-1975 The Corozal England: Centre 1 984

Project Reports, ( Cambridge, for Latin American Studies).

" Two Roads Diverged: Maya Archaeology at Antiquity 4 9:821-826.

A B rief Comment on Lowland the Crossroads," American

KOSAKOWSKY, L .J. 1 983 " Intra-site Variability of the Formative Ceramics f rom Cuello, Belize: An Analysis of Form and Function," Ph.D. diss., University of Arizona . KOSAKOWSKY, L . J., AND F . VALDEZ, JR. 1 982 " Rethinking the Northern Belize Formative Ceramic Chronology," paper presented at the 4 7th Annual Meetings o f the S ociety for American Archaeology ( Minneapolis). MARCUS, 1 983

PRING, 1 977

J . " Lowland Maya Archaeology at American Antiquity 4 8: 4 54-88.

Crossroads,"

D .

ROBERTSON, 1 980

the

" The Ph.D.

P reclassic Ceramics diss., University of

o f Northern London.

Belize,"

R . " The Ceramics f rom Cerros: A Late Preclassic S ite in Northern Belize," P h.D. diss., Harvard University.

3 0

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello Appendix Colors of

A : Munsell Color Cuello Ceramic Types

Ahchab Red-and-buff: Variety Unspecified

Notations for the S urface ( Listed A lphabetically)*

Buff- 5 YR 6 /4, Red- 2 .5YR 5 /8

Backlanding I ncised: Backlanding Variety

1 OR

4 /8

Backlanding I ncised: Grooved I ncised Variety

l OR

4 /8

Barquedier Grooved I ncised: Barquedier Variety

l OR

4 /8

Chacalte I ncised: Chacalte Variety

5 YR

2 /1

Chacalte I ncised: Yo Creek Variety

5 YR

2 /1

Chicago O range: Chicago Variety

5 YR

7 /4

Chicago O range: Chucun Variety

5 YR

7 /4

Chicago O range: Nago Bank Variety

5 YR

7 /4

Chicago O range: Warrie Camp Variety

5 YR

7 /4

Chunhinta B lack: Chunhinta Variety

2 .5YR 2 /0 2 .5Y 2 /0,

C onsejo R ed: Consejo Variety

l OR

4 /8

C onsejo Red: Estrella Variety

1 OR

4 /8

C opetilla Unslipped: Copetilla Variety

3 /0

5 YR 7 /4 7 .5YR 7 /4

Copetilla Unslipped: Gallon Jug Variety

i s the

6 /6

5 YR 7 /4 7 .5YR 7 /4

NOTE: Only t he p redominant Munsell Color f or each type l isted here. For a complete l ist of Munsell colors s ee type descriptions in Kosakowsky 1 983. 3 1

L aura J . K osakowsky

Copper Bank I ncised: Copper Bank Variety

2 .5YR 6 /4,

5 /6, 6 /6,

Cotton Tree I ncised: Cotton Tree Variety

5 YR

7 /4

Cudjoe Red and Unslipped: Cudjoe & Unnamed Varieties

1 OR

4 /8

Deprecio I ncised: Grooved I ncised Variety

2 .5YR 2 /0 2 .5Y 2/0,

D esvario Chamfered: Desvario Variety

l OR

E scobal Red-on-buff: Variety Unspecified

4 /6,

5 /8

,

6 /8

3 /0

4 /8,

5/6,

5 /8

B uff- 5 YR 7 /3, 7 /4, 8/3 R ed- 2 .5YR 4/8, 5 /8, 4 /6, 5 /6

F ireburn Red-and-cream: F ireburn & Unnamed Varieites

F lor Cream: Variety Unspecified

C ream-5YR 6 /4, Red- l OR 4 /8

7/3,

7 /4

5 YR 7 /2, 7 /4, 8/2, 7 .5YR 7 /2, 8 /2 1 0YR 7 /1, 7 /2, 8/2

8 /4

Guitara I ncised: Grooved I ncised Variety

1 OR

5 /8

Honey Camp Orange-brown: Honey Camp Variety

2 .5YR

Joventud Red: Palmasito Variety

1 OR

L agartos Punctated: Lagartos Variety

2 .5YR

4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 1 OR 4 /8, 5 /8

5/6,

Laguna Verde I ncised: Laguna Verde & Grooved I ncised Varieites

2 .5YR

5/6,

4 /6,

4 /8,

5 /6, 6 /6,

4 /6,

5/6,

5 /8, 6 /8

4 /8,

5/6,

4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 1 OR 4 /8, 5 /8

3 2

6/4,

5 /8

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello

Lechugal I ncised: Grooved Incised Variety

Machaca B lack: Machaca & . Wamil

5 YR 2 /1, 2 /2 2 .5YR 2 /2

Varieties

Matamore D ichrome: Matamore Variety

2 /1

Red- 2 .5YR 4 /8, 5 /8 and B lack- 5 YR 2 /1 or Cream- 2 .5Y 8 /2 or B rown- 2 .5Y 5 /4, 4 /4

Muxanal Red-on-cream: Lazaro Variety

P aso

5 YR

Cream- 1 0YR 8 /2 7 .5YR 8 /2 5 YR 7 /2, 7 /3, 8 /2, Red- l OR 4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /6, 5 /8

Danto I ncised: Variety Unspecified

P ettville Red-and-cream: Pettville & U nnamed Varieties

5 YR 7 /2, 8 /2 7 .5YR 7 /2, 7 /4, 8 /4

8 /2,

Cream-

7 /3,

RedP ital

C ream: Variety Unspecified

5 YR

l OR

6 /4, 7 /4 4 /8

5 YR 7 /2, 8 /2 7 .5YR 7 /2, 7 /4, 8 /4

P olvero B lack: Polvero Variety

2 .5YR 2 /0 2 .5Y 2 /0,

P uletan Red-and-unslipped: Puletan & U nnamed V arieties

3 /0

2 .5YR

4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 l OR 4 /8, 5 /8

Quamina C ream: Quamina V ariety

5 YR 8 /1, 8 /2 7 .5YR 8 /2 1 0YR 7 /2

3 3

8 /2,

5 /6,

8 /4

L aura J . K osakowsky

Repollo I mpressed: Variety Unspecified

2 .5YR

4 /6, 4/8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 l OR 4 /8, 5 /8

R ichardson P eak Unslipped: Richardson P eak Variety ( Cocos)

5 YR 6 /4, 6 /6 1 0YR 6/1, 6 /4 2 .5Y 5 /2, 6 /2

R ichardson P eak Unslipped: Richardson P eak Variety ( Lopez)

5 YR 6 /1, 6 /6 1 0YR 5 /1, 6 /3 2 .5YR 5 /2

S apote S triated: Variety Unspecified

5 YR

S ierra Red: Ahuacan Variety

6 /1, 6 /2, 7 /1, 7 /2

6/3,

2 .5YR 5 /8 5 YR 6 /8

S ierra Red: B ig P ond Variety

1 0YR 4 /6,

S ierra Red: S ierra Variety

2 .5YR

4 /8

4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 l OR 4 /8, 5 /8

S ociety Hall R ed: Bound to S hine Variety

Society Hall R ed: S ociety H all

5 /6,

5 /6,

2 .5YR 3 /2, 4 /4, 4/6 5 YR 4 /4, 5 /4, 5 /6, 6 /6, 6 /8 7 .5YR 5 /6, 6 /8

2 .5YR 5 /8, 6 /8 l OR 5 /6, 5 /8 5 YR 5 /6

Variety

Society Hall Red: Unnamed D ichrome Variety

3 4

one s ide s ame as Bound to S hine, o ther s ide s ame a s Society H all variety

F ormative C eramic S equence o f C uello

Tower H ill Red-on-cream: T ower H ill & Unnammed ( Resist) Varieties

Cream- 5 YR 8 /1, 7 .5YR 8 /2 1 0YR 7 /2 Red- 1 OR 4 /8

8 /2

Union Appliqued: Variety Unspecified

2 .5YR

5 /6,

Yotolin Pattern Burnished: Variety Unspecified

l OR

4 /6, 4 /8, 5 /8 7 .5R 4 /8 1 OR 4 /8, 5 /8

3 5

6 /1,

6 /2,

4 /1,

4 /2

3 T he C eram ic S equence o f K ichpanha : 1 979 -1985 S easons

K athryn V . R eese a nd F red V aldez , J r .

Excavations a nd s urface c ollections a t t he s mall c eremonial c enter o f K ichpanha, Belize, h ave b een c onducted b y members o f t he C olha P roject a nd s ubsequently by t he members o f t he K ichpanha P roject beginning i n 1 979 ( Gibson 1 982, 1 985; K elly 1 980; R eese and V aldez 1 984; S hafer 1 982). A b asic o utline o f t he s ite's c eramic s equence i s n ow a pparent f rom t he c ombined s easons' e xcavations. The s equence b egins w ith an early M iddle P reclassic c eramic p hase a nd c ontinues uninterrupted t hrough t he L ate P reclassic. A s eeming h iatus o ccurs d uring t he E arly C lassic w ith t he s equence c ontinuing a gain d uring t he L ate C lassic. The s equence t erminates w ith a v eneer o f P ostclassic material. T his p aper d etails t he K ichpanha c eramic s equence a s i t now s tands a fter s everal s easons o f e xcavation, w ith comments o n t he position o f K ichpanha i n t he regional c eramic i nteraction s phere. Traditional p ropriety f or n omenclature p racticed i n t he type-variety-mode c lassification s ystem c alls f or t he e stablishment o f n ew c omplex n ames f or e ach s ite ( Willey, C ulbert, a nd Adams 1 965). H owever, g iven t he a bundance o f c omplex n ames c urrently existing i n t he l iterature a nd the o verwhelming s imilarities b etween t he c eramic s equences f rom Colha a nd K ichpanha, i t was d ecided t o a dopt the c omplex n ames f rom C olha when a pplicable t o d efine t he v arious c eramic phases a t K ichpanha. S hould s ignificant d ifferences b ecome apparent with examination o f s ubsequent c eramic materials f rom e ither s ite, t hen t he c reation o f c omplex n ames f or t he K ichpanha s equence would b ecome more f easible. B olay C omplex

( Xe

S phere--Early M iddle P reclassic)

During e vidence o f

t he e xcavations a n e arly M iddle 3 7

o f a s mall h ousemound, P reclassic o ccupation was

K . R eese a nd F . V aldez, J r . e ncountered. The c eramics o f t his p hase s eem t o possess many o f t he c haracteristics o f t he B laden complex f rom C uello ( Kosakowsky 1 983) a nd t he B olay c omplex f rom Colha ( Valdez a nd Adams 1 982). The m ajor monochrome s lipped g roup o f this phase i s t he C onsejo g roup, h owever J oventud R ed i s a lso p resent, t hough i n s tatistically small amounts. B ecause o f s trong modal t ies t o c eramics o f the X e s phere a nd a p ossible r elationship b etween C onsejo R ed and H uetche White ( Kosakowsky 1 983; K osakowsky a nd Valdez 1 982; V aldez a nd Adams 1 982), t he p recedent s et b y C uello a nd Colha i s f ollowed whereby t his e arly M iddle P reclassic p hase a t K ichpanha i s t entatively p laced within t he X e s phere. S tratigraphically t his o ccupational l evel l ies d irectly b eneath a l evel t hat h as b een i dentified a s early f acet Mamom. This p articular a dmixture o f t ypes was i solated by Kosakowsky ( 1983) i n t he s ample from C uello w ith d ates t hat appear t o b e quite e arly. P resently there i s n o e vidence to s upport s uch e arly d ates f or this phase a t K ichpanha, i ndicating a l ater o ccupation associated w ith t hese t ypes t han t hat n oted a t C uello. This a ligns w ell w ith the s equence d efined f or C olha ( Valdez and Adams 1 982). This i dentification i s c urrently b ased on a small s ample; t herefore a ll s tatements s hould b e c onsidered t entative a nd s ubject to c hange with f urther excavations. H owever, s hould t his a dmixture o f t ypes p rove more w idespread t hroughout K ichpanha a nd t he i mmediate a rea o f C uello, C olha, a nd K ichpanha, i t i s s uggested that i t be c onsidered a r egional v ariation o f t he X e s phere w ith the C onsejo g roup r eflecting t he major monochrome utility ware i n t he a rea. C hiwa Complex

( Mamom S phere--Middle P reclassic)

The C hiwa c omplex a t K ichpanha h as been d ivided a n e arly a nd l ate f acet. E arly f acet.

The p rincipal

t ypes o f

the e arly

i nto

f acet

i nclude C hicago O range, J oventud Red, a nd R ichardson P eak U nslipped. This p hase i s c haracterized by the g radual r eplacement o f t he C onsejo g roup a nd C opetilla Unslipped t ype b y t he J oventud g roup a nd R ichardson P eak Unslipped t ype a s t he major utility c eramics o f t his p eriod. This material was d istinguished a s a f acet within t he Chiwa c omplex b ecause o f t he r eplacement o f the m ajor u tility g roups a nd b ecause o f t he i ntroduction o f n ew modes, i ncluding c hamfering, b asal b reaks, a nd d ouble-line b reaks. I n g eneral t here i s a t rend t oward m ore c omplicated c omposite s ilhouettes. T hese c haracteristics d efine t his c omplex a t K ichpanha a s f alling w ell within the t raditional Mamom s phere a s o riginally i dentified by Smith ( 1955) a t U axactun. I t i s s uggested t hat t hese 3 8

C eramic S equence o f K ichpanha

i nnovations i n the c eramic a ssemblage during this r eflect a c loser a ffiliation with the P eten area. Late

f acet.

The

l ate

f acet o f

t he

Chiwa

period

c omplex

i s

t ransitional b etween t he Mamom s phere and the Chicanel s phere with characteristics o f both s pheres present. The Joventud R ed c eramic g roup r emains i n the archaeological r ecord; however t he f orms c hange. Walls a re thicker, t eard rop shape r ims a re more common, and medial f langes a lso a ppear. The S ierra g roup i s a lso i ntroduced during t his p hase. One type encountered during this phase demonstrates a J oventud Red s lipped i nterior and a S ierra R ed exterior, u sually i n a vessel f orm more commonly f ound w ithin the S ierra group. R ichardson Peak r emains t he p rincipal unslipped type during t his f acet. The i ntroduction o f the S ierra group and an i ncreasing s tandardization o f s urface color and vessel f orm are a lso c haracteristic o f t he l ate f acet. The Mamom c eramic sphere throughout the Maya l owlands i n general i s c haracterized by r egional variation. The t ypological and modal c ohesion apparent in the c eramic a ssemblages f rom Cuello, Colha, and K ichpanha during t his p hase may demonstrate one s uch regional variation, with s ome minor s ite-to-site d ifferences n oted. W ithin K ichpanha, n o d istinctions a re noted among t he c eramic a ssemblages f rom the various s tructures that might r eflect s ocial s tratification. The l ate f acet a ppears to r epresent a r elatively s table p eriod in the area w ith l ittle o utside i nfluence d emonstrated i n t he Kichpanha s ample b eyond t he obvious s imilarities noted to Colha and C uello mentioned e arlier. I t i s s uggested that c eramic p roduction was on t he h ousehold l evel with l ittle s urplus c reated. B lossom Bank

two

( Chicanel

Sphere--Late/Terminal

The B lossom Bank complex has facets at K ichpanha.

a lso been

P reclassic) s ubdivided

into

Early f acet. The early f acet o f the B lossom B ank c omplex at K ichpanha i s characterized by a total r eplacement o f t he Joventud g roup by the S ierra group. The Matamore ( dichrome) g roup i s f irst encountered during t his f acet, and Chicago Orange a nd Richardson P eak U nslipped a lso c ontinue. Technologically, the pottery has a harder, g lossier s urface f inish and appears to be better f ired than materials f rom p receding phases. The s tandardization that i s r eflected i n the e arlier manifestations o f the S ierra g roup increases g reatly during this phase, and may be s uggestive o f a technological a s well a s organizational change i n c eramic production i n the Maya l owlands.

3 9

K . R eese a nd F . V aldez, J r . A lthough household p roduction s till accounts f or a majority o f the c eramics p roduced d uring t his facet, i t i s h ypothesized t hat a c eramic s urplus was produced i n c ertain k ey a reas. With a n i ncrease i n p opulation d escribed f or t he Maya a rea d uring t he L ate Preclassic, a c reation o f a c eramic s urplus f or e xchange m ay h ave p rovided a v iable a lternative f or c ommunities with l imited a ccess t o g ood a rgricultural s oils ( Harrison 1 978; R ice 1 981; Turner 1 983). The l ithic c raft s pecialization n oted during t his p eriod a t t he s ite o f Colha ( Hester 1 979; H ester et a l. 1 980, 1 982; Roemer 1 984), may r eflect t he b eginning o f an e xchange o f s everal d ifferent c ommodities. S tandardization o f v essel f orm w ould have g reatly f acilitated t rade a nd e ased p roblems a ssociated w ith t ransportation b y a llowing s tacking a nd n esting o f the v essels ( Robertson-Freidel 1 980; S abloff and R athje 1 975). A lthough i t i s d oubtful t hat a s ignificant p roportion o f t he K ichpanha c eramic t ypes were imported d uring t his period, t he t rend t oward s tandardization c an b e s een i n t he l ocally p roduced w ares. R ichardson P eak U nslipped a nd C hicago O range r emain a s important types i n t he a rchaeological r ecord; h owever v arious attributes c hange to a pproximate t hose f ound w ithin t he S ierra g roup. This i s e specially noted i n v arious r im t reatments. W ithin t he S ierra g roup i tself, t he s tandardization o f vessel f orm a nd s urface t reatment i s p articularly w ell d efined i n t he t ype S ociety Hall R ed. T his may b e v iewed a s p ossible e vidence f or incipient c raft s pecialization. H owever, e ven w ith i ncreased t rade and c ommunication b etween s ites i n t he r egion, t here e xists l ittle d ifferentiation a mong t he c eramic a ssemblages within K ichpanha. T his r eflects a l ack o f d istinguishable s ocial s tratification a s i ndicated by t he c eramics, a s well a s l imited p articipation i n t he regional t rade n etwork by t his small c eremonial c enter. L ate f acet. L ate f acet B lossom Bank c eramics a t K ichpanha h ave been i dentified a s c orresponding i n time to t he T erminal P reclassic/Protoclassic p eriods. T he p rincipal types i dentified f or t his p hase i nclude S ierra R ed, S ociety H all R ed, Matamore D ichrome, Chicago Orange, a nd R ichardson P eak U nslipped. T his f acet i s c ontemporaneous w ith t he F loral P ark s phere c omplex f ound a t C olha ( Valdez a nd A dams 1 982). T he K ichpanha s ample does d emonstrate i nfluences from t he F loral P ark s phere w ith a n emphasis o n n ew vessel f orms a nd r im t reatments. T his may f urther s upport t he c ontention t hat v essel f orm i s more s ensitive a s a n i ndicator o f s ocial c hange t han s urface t reatments ( Thompson 1 939; D emarest 1 981, 1 984). T he n ew modes i ntroduced i nto t he K ichpanha s ample i nclude t etrapodal v essels w ith h ollow mammiform l egs a nd r attles a nd nubbin 4 0

C eramic S equence o f K ichpanha supports,

and g rooved hook r ims.

A lthough t hese modes a re g enerally i ncluded within the F loral P ark s phere, they a re a ll f ound on Chicanel sphere ceramic types at K ichpanha, and there i s a notable l ack o f F loral P ark ( i.e. " Protoclassic") s urface and decorative t reatments. S pecifically there are no examples of I xcanrio Polychrome, Aguacate Orange, or U sulutan decorative t reatments. There i s no r eplacement o f the major monochrome group, S ierra Red, with that o f the F loral Park sphere, Aguacate Orange. The l ate f acet o f t he B lossom Bank complex i s characterized by a n overall increase i n c onstruction activity at the s ite. The main ceremonial complex was expanded a nd a network o f s acbes was built j oining s everal house structures and p lazuela groups to the main pyramid. I n s tructure 3 5, a small p lazuela g roup, a S ociety H all Red bucket-shaped v essel was f ound w ith a " kill" h ole punched i n the b ottom. The excavations o f a bulldozed mound produced s everal l ate f acet Chicanel s phere mortuary vessels with t etrapod mammiform a nd nubbin s upports. This expansion o f K ichpanha c onstruction and e vidence f or s ocial s tratification i ndicates that K ichpanha was p articipating i n t he r egional exchange network; a t best, however, K ichpanha's i nvolvement r emained p eripheral. Outside i nfluences and trade i tems i n t he c eramic a ssemblage a ll a re f ound within a mortuary c ontext. T zakol

Sphere

( Early C lassic)

There i s l ittle i ndication o f Early C lassic T zakol s phere c eramics i n the K ichpanha s ample. Ceramics i dentified a s E arly C lassic t ypes were a ll recovered by s urface collection during the 1 981 s eason. B ecause no c eramic t ypes h ave b een i dentified t hat d emonstrate t ransitional a ttributes between Late/Terminal P reclassic a nd Late C lassic types, this period i s viewed a s a h iatus i n the K ichpanha c eramic s equence. This, however, does not p reclude o ccupation o f t he s ite during t he Early C lassic t ime period. B omba Complex

( Tepeu

2 -3

S phere--Late/Terminal

C lassic)

Late and T erminal C lassic types a re a ssociated at K ichpanha and p laced within the Bomba c omplex. Few d istinctions h ave b een n oted i n t he s ample that would c ause a d ivision i nto f acets. This may be due to a small s ample f rom this period. The major types t hat o ccur i n the Tepeu 2 -3 phase i nclude S ubin R ed, T inaja Red, P almar Orange Polychrome, R ubber C amp B rown, a nd T u-Tu Camp S triated. Modes that f irst appear during this phase include b eveled r ims, r ing s upports, and p late f orms. T echnologically, the c eramics 4 1

K . R eese a nd F . V aldez, J r . appear p ossess

to have a harder

been s lip.

f ired at a h igher

t emperature

and t o

The Bomba complex ceramics o f Kichpanha a re s tandardized and o f a d efinite domestic n ature. T here i s d ifferential c eramic a ssemblages that n o evidence f or s ocial s tratification within K ichpanha would i ndicate during t he Late C lassic. Very f ew Late/Terminal C lassic c eramics were r ecovered f rom t he main ceremonial c enter, a lthough a Late C lassic occupation was encountered in two p lazuela groups connected to the main pyramid by a s acbe. S everal Late C lassic burials with a ssociated mortuary v essels h ave a lso been excavated. These v essels were i dentified a s S ubin Red, P almar Orange Polychrome, Rubber C amp B rown, a nd Z acatel C ream Polychrome. With minor exceptions, t hese types have a ll been previously r ecovered f rom domestic c ontexts. T heir u se as mortuary vessels may s uggest a l ack o f a ccess to more " ceremonial" t ypes by the Late C lassic r esidents. B ecause of a l ack o f d istinct " ceremonial" c eramic types at K ichpanha a s well a s a n a pparent abandonment o f the main ceremonial c enter, the Late C lassic period i s n ot viewed a s one of growth at K ichpanha. However, the a nalyzed c eramics i ndicate t hat t he s tandardization developed during the Late P reclassic was expanded a nd i ntensified d uring t he Late C lassic. A g reater number o f types and varieties i n the Kichpanha s ample d emonstrate characteristics s uch as s tandardization o f vessel f orm, s urface t reatment, and decorative t echniques, a ll a ssociated with c raft s pecialization ( Rice 1 981). The f act that a greater number o f these types were r eaching K ichpanha may i ndicate a possible i ntensification of ceramic trade throughout t he r egion. Kichpanha's p articipation i n the r egional c eramic t rade n etwork r emained c entered on t he exchange o f utilitarian vessels, h owever. Postclassic

( Sphere Unidentified)

Only a f ew P ostclassic c eramics have been recovered f rom K ichp anha. A ll were unidentifiable r eds, b adly weathered. I t i s c oncluded, t herefore, that an a ctual Postclassic occupation o f t he s ite i s not r epresented in and n o s phere a ffiliation i s a ssigned to t his t he s ample period.

S UMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS S everal t rends may b e noted within the Kichpanha s equence. F irst, t ransitional p eriods a t the conclusion o f e ach P reclassic c eramic s phere a re characterized b y a r apid adoption o f n ew v essel a nd r im f orms f ollowed by gradual replacement by t he major monochrome group o f the 4 2

C eramic S equence o f K ichpanha new s phere. S econd, standardization of ceramic surface treatments can be identified on the l ocal

f orms l evel

and and

increases throughout the sequence. Third, Kichpanha s eems to r emain on the periphery of the ceramic trade network throughout the entire sequence with a noticeable l ack of " elite" types in the sample. To conclude, the ceramic sequence presented represents c ombined collections from several seasons at Kichpanha; however the s ample size remains small ( Reese 1 985). Therefore, a ll s tatements must be considered tentative • and s ubject to change with subsequent excavations.

References DEMAREST 1 981

A . A. " Santa L eticia and the Development of Complex S ociety in Southeastern Mesoamerica," Ph.D. d iss., Harvard University.

1 984

G IBSON, 1 982

" Preclassic Ceramics of E l Mirador: Preliminary Results and Ongoing Analysis," Journal of the Centro de I nvestigaciones Regionales de Mesoamerica 5 (7): 5 3-93. E . " An Analysis of the Late C lassic Maya Settlement P atterns a Kichpanha, Northern Belize," in Archaeology at Colha, Belize: the 1 981 Interim R eport, eds. T .R. Hester, H . J. Shafer, and J .D. Eaton, pp. 1 52-166. Center for Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University of Texas).

1 985

" Excavations at K ichpanha: the 1 983 S eason," paper presented at the Fiftieth Annual Meeting o f the Society f or American Archaeologists, Denver.

HARRISON, 1 978

P . Pre-Hispanic University of

Maya Agriculture New Mexico Press).

( Albuquerque:

H ESTER, 1 979

T .R. The Colha S eason 1 979: A Collection of Interim Reports, Center for Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University o f Texas).

HESTER, ( eds) 1 980

T .R.,

J .D.

EATON,

AND H .J.

SHAFER

The C olha Project, S econd S eason, 1 980 Interim Report ( San Antonio: University of Texas Center f or A rchaeological Research and Centro Studi e Richerche Ligabue, Venezia). 4 3

K . R eese a nd F . V aldez, J r . HESTER, 1 982

T . R., H .J SHAFER, AND J .D. EATON Archaeology at Colha, B elize: The 1 981 I nterim Report, Center f or Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University of Texas).

KELLY, 1 980

T . K. " The Colha Regional Survey," in Colha P roject, S econd S eason, 1 980 Interim Report, eds. T . R. Hester, J .D. Eaton, and H .J. Shafer, pp. 5 1-70. Center f or Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University of Texas).

KELLY, 1 979

T . K., AND F . VALDEZ, JR. " Site Survey at Kate's Lagoon ( Kichpanha)," in The Colha Project 1 979: A Collection of I nterim Papers, ed. T .R. Hester, pp. 1 64-165. Center f or Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University of Texas).

KOSAKOWSKY, L . 1 983 " Intra-site Variability of the Formative Ceramics from Cuello, Northern Belize: An Analysis o f Form and Function," Ph. D. d iss., University of Arizona. KOSAKOWSKY, L ., AND F . VALDEZ, JR. 1 982 " Rethinking the Northern Belize Formative Ceramic Chronology," paper presented at the 4 8th Annual Meeting for the S ociety for American Archaeology, Minneapolis. RICE, 1 981

P . M. " Evolution o f Trial Model," 2 40.

Specialized Pottery Production: A Current Anthropology 22(3):219-

REESE, 1 985

K . V. "Methodological Small Sample," Meeting o f the Denver.

REESE, 1 984

K . V., AND F . VALDEZ, JR. " The Ceramics o f K ichpanha, Northern Belize," paper presented at the 4 9th Annual Meeting of the Society f or American Archaeology, Portland.

ROBERTSON-FREIDEL, R . 1 980 " The Ceramics in Northern University. ROEMER, 1 984

Approaches to the Analysis o f a paper presented at the 5th Annual Society for American Archaeology,

o f Cerros: Belize,"

A L ate Ph.D.

Preclassic S ite diss., Harvard

E . "A Late Belize,"

C lassic Maya Lithic Workshop at Colha, M . A. Thesis, Texas A&M University.

4 4

C eramic S equence o f K ichpanha SABLOFF, 1 975

SHAFER, 1 982

SMITH, 1 955

J ., AND W . RATHJE " The R ise o f a Maya Merchant American 2 33 ( 4): 7 2-82.

C lass"

S cientific

H .J. " A Preliminary Report on the Lithic Technology of Kichpanha, Northern Belize," in Archaeology o f Colha, Belize: The 1 981 I nterim Report, eds. T .R. Hester, H .J. Shafer, and J .D Eaton, pp. 1 671 81. Center f or Archaeological Research, ( San Antonio: University of Texas). R .E. Ceramic American Orleans:

THOMPSON, 1 939

S equence at Uaxactun, Guatemala, Middle Research I nstitute Publication 2 0 ( New Tulane University).

J . E.S. Excavations at San Jose, British Honduras, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington Publication no. 5 06 ( Washington, D .C.).

TURNER, 1 983

B .L. Once Beneath the Forest: Prehistoric Terracing o f the Rio Bec Region of the Maya ( Boulder: West View P ress).

VALDEZ, 1 982

F ., JR., AND R .E. W. ADAMS " The Ceramics of Colha After Three Seasons: 1 9791 981," i n The Archaeology of Colha, Belize: The 1 981 I nterim Report, eds. T .R. Hester, H .J. Shafer, and J .D. Eaton, pp. 2 1-30. Center for Archaeological Research ( San Antonio: University o f Texas).

4 5

4 P u t t ing T oge ther t he P ieces : Maya P o t tery o f Nor thern B e l ize a nd C en tra l P e ten , Gua tema la A rien F .

C hase a nd D iane Z . C hase

Upper l evel M aya c eramic a nalysis i nvolves the c omparison o f a s pecific s ite s equence w ith t hose extant i n o ther p arts o f t he Maya area. T hese c omparisons a re u sually c arried o ut t hrough t he u se o f t he c oncept o f a " ceramic s phere" which " exists when two or more c omplexes s hare a m ajority o f t heir most c ommon t ypes" ( Willey, C ulbert, a nd A dams 1 967:306). The i mplication o f m embership i n a c eramic s phere i s t hat two o r more c omplexes s hare " broader c ultural i nteraction p atterns c ommon t o t heir r espective s ites o r l ocality" ( Ball 1 976:323). The c eramic s phere c oncept i s s ynthetic i n n ature. B y i ts v ery d efinition, i t i s meant t o c ombine d iverse a ttributes, modes, a nd f orms i nto a whole t hat can t hen b e p laced i n a s pecific g eographic r egion. H owever, many i f n ot a ll o f t he " broader c ultural i nteraction p atterns" a re, i n f act, l ost to t he geographic a spect o f t he c eramic s phere. T he g oals o f M aya c eramic a nalysis a re: f irst, the d escription o f M aya pottery i n t erms t hat a re u seful t o o ther r esearchers; s econd, t he c onstruction o f a s ite s equence; a nd t hird, an explanation o f the behavior b ehind t he p ottery. T he f irst g oal, s imple d escription, i s a ccomplished t hrough t he u se o f t he t ype-variety-mode m ethod o f c eramic a nalysis. The s econd g oal, t he c onstruction o f a s ite s equence, e stablishes the c hronology o f a s ite a nd, t o s ome extent, i ts c ulture h istory. The t hird goal, the explanation o f behavior, i mplies t he a ttribution o f f unction to p ottery t ypes and t he d efinition o f both i ntraa nd i nter-site c eramic d istributions. I n a v ery r eal s ense, t he t hird goal c ontrasts with t he f irst, f or t he s imple t ypological d escription o f p ottery i s a s ynthetic exercise s tressing s imilarities while t he explanation o f t he b ehavior b ehind t hat p ottery n eeds t o e xamine t he v ariability t hat i s 4 7

A .F . C hase a nd D .Z. C hase h idden w ithin a nalysis.

t he

i ntegrative t ype-variety-mode

s ystem o f

B ecause o f i ts v ery n ature, t he u se o f the c eramic s phere c oncept t o g et a t u nderlying " cultural p atterns" i s l imited. The c eramic s phere emphasizes s imilarities a nd n ot d ifferences; i t d erives f rom t he c eramic a nalysis and o nly v aguely r elates t o the b ehavior o f t he p eople b eing a nalyzed. I f t he goal o f c eramic a nalysis i s u ltimately t he r econstruction o f b ehavior, t hen M aya c eramic a nalysis h as been misled by t hinking t hat t he c eramic s phere i s t he most u seful i ntegrative l evel. The merit o f i nterpretations b ased o n t he quantification o f c eramic r emains i s a lso q uestionable, e specially more s o s ince i t h as b een s tressed t hat " ceramic s pheres a re q uantitatively r ather t han q ualitatively defined" ( Ball 1 976:324). The q uantification o f c eramic d eposits, while u seful s imply a s a r elative measure, does n ot n ecessarily h ave anything t o d o with t he u nderlying c ulture t hat p roduced t hose d eposits f or i t c ombines v arious d istinct b ehaviors and c onditions. For e xample, e ach c eramic t ype o ften p roduces d ifferent b reakage patterns. I n addition, p eople a t e ach s ite may h ave a n u nlimited number o f r elationships w ith i ndividuals a nd g roups f rom other s ites a nd r egions, y et a s ite c an o nly b e a f ull member o f a s ingle c eramic s phere. A more u seful c oncept f or d eriving behavior f rom the a rchaeological r ecord a nd f or f acilitating meaningful c omparisons b etween s ites i s t he " subcomplex." A s ubcomplex, a s d efined by t he 1 967 M aya c eramic c onference, i s " a s ubdivision o f a c omplex t hat h as s ignificance i n c ultural i nterpretation other t han t hat o f c hronological d ifferentiation." W ith t he exception o f t he B ecan c eramic r eport ( Ball 1 977:3, 1 42-150), t his e xceedingly u seful c oncept h as n ot g enerally b een employed i n M aya c eramic s tudies. Much more t han a c eramic s phere, s ubcomplexes a llow t he d efinition o f u nits m eaningful t o the M aya a nd a p ossible i nterpretation o f t hese M aya b ehaviors; b y t heir very n ature, s ubcomplexes p ermit more a ccurate i nter-site c omparisons. T he most c ommonly r ecognized s ubcomplexes a re t hose c omprising c aches, c ensers, a nd burials, a lthough s ubcomplexes c omprising r efuse d eposits h ave a lso b een d efined ( D. C hase 1 982a: 3 40, 6 17-639; A . C hase 1 983:48-55, 6 9-70, 1 36-140). While t he p rime c omponents o f s ubcomplexes may b e c eramic vessels, a n i mportant a spect o f t he t erm i s c learly f unction and/or c ontext. T hrough c omparing s ubcomplexes at d ifferent s ites, i t i s p ossible t o g ain a better u nderstanding o f meaningful c onnections b etween t hem. I n s pite o f the c ritique t hat s ubcomplexes a re d ependent f or t heir f ormulation " upon t he r ecovery o f f unctionally s pecialized c ontexts" ( Ball 1 977: 3 ), i t i s o ur c ontention t hat t he u se o f s ubcomplexes w ill a llow Maya c eramicists a nd a rchaeologists t o d evelop a 4 8

P utting T ogether t he P ieces more precise understanding o f the nature o f Maya s ociety a nd i ts organization. The u se o f s ubcomplexes in comparing Tayasal and S anta R ita b oth to each other a nd to their neighbors r eveals much more than a broad sharing of c eramic types between s ome t ime periods and not between others.

TAYASAL AND

SANTA RITA COROZAL

The s ites o f Tayasal ( A. Chase 1 979, 1 983, 1 984, 1 985a) and S anta R ita Corozal ( D. Chase 1 981, 1 982a, 1 986; D . C hase and A . Chase 1 986) are s uperficially s imilar i n many respects ( see F ig. 1 ). Both c ontain c eramic s equences that s pan the P reclassic through H istoric t ime p eriods. Both a re l ocated near bodies o f water and are s trategically p laced with r egard to trade. Both s ites are v iewed a s being on the s econd t ier of a Maya s ettlement h ierarchy. But, Tayasal and S anta Rita Corozal a re a lso v ery different. Tayasal i s characterized by dominance over a 1 5 km l ong peninsula t ermed the T ayasal-Paxcaman z one. This z one has l arge constructions, a p laza-oriented s ettlement pattern, and the p resence o f carved monuments. S anta Rita Corozal extends 4 km a long a b luff that r ises above Chetumal Bay. This area has f ew l arge c onstructions, l acks c arved monuments a ltogether, and i s c haracterized by a s ettlement p attern t hat puts l ittle emphasis on t he u se o f common p lazas shared by more than one structure. Yet, the two s ites s hare ceramic types, c eramic groups, and i n s ome c ases, ceramic spheres and mortuary subcomplexes. The c eramic data f rom the Tayasal-Paxcaman z one ( A. C hase 1 979, 1 983, 1 984; A . Chase and D . Chase 1 983) and S anta Rita C orozal ( D. Chase 1 982a, 1 984) a re a lso i ndicative o f t he difficulties i n e stablishing r egional s equences and o f the problems with a ssuming that s ites o f l esser importance are necessarily s ubsumed i nto the c eramic s equences o f l arger neighbors. I t would i n f act a ppear that g eographic p roximity does n ot necessarily c orrespond with an exact c eramic equivalence b etween s ites. I n addition, i t i s not a lways apparent which s ites, whether small o r l arge, a re l ikely to be most r epresentative o f an a rea. This i s c learly s een in both n orthern Belize ( Pring 1 976; D . Chase 1 982a:71-72; A . C hase 1 986:123) and central Peten ( Culbert 1 977:29-30; A . C hase and D . C hase 1 983:66) in the variability among the c eramic s equences o f n eighboring s ites. The d iversity p resent i n t he c eramics and s ites of these two regions s hould be expected g iven the multitude o f complex r elationships t hat must once have existed w ithin Maya s ociety. The meaning behind this variability and, to s ome e xtent, the very d iversity i tself, h owever, may be c ompletely masked by a punctilious adherence to a s ynthetic, descriptive c eramic typology. 4 9

A .F . C hase a nd D .Z. C hase

0

100 Km

Mexico

S anta

R ita Coroza l

T oyasa I

B e lize

Guatema la

F ig. 1 . Map o f the Maya area Tayasal and Santa Rita Corozal.

5 0

showing

the

location of

P utting T ogether t he P ieces Thus, i t i s our contention that even a brief r eview o f t he patterns o f c eramic variability within c ertain s ubcomplexes at T ayasal and S anta Rita Corozal underscores the need to l ook b eyond the c eramic s phere concept in order to understand i nteractions b etween a nd within parts o f t he Maya realm. Preclassic R ita C orozal h as Early Preclassic r emains. Santa These are s imilar to Swasey c eramics f ound 3 0 km to the s outh at Cuello, y et they d iffer i n f orm and s urface coloration ( D. C hase 1 983). An E arly P reclassic burial has b een defined at S anta R ita Corozal and subcomplex consists o f a p artially f lexed i ndividual accompanied by a s ingle Consejo R ed d ish ( Fig. 2 a) p laced i n the chest area. The Middle Preclassic at S anta R ita Corozal i s characterized b y a b lending o f Swasey and Mamom characteristics; u nlike Cuello ( Kosakowsky 1 982:28), no distinct Mamom c omplex exists a t S anta R ita Corozal; rather, there i s a smooth transition f rom the earlier Swasey-related c eramics i nto the Late Preclassic Chicanelrelated types. F or the Middle P reclassic, two d ifferent burial s ubcomplexes c an be defined at S anta R ita Corozal. The f irst r epresents a continuation o f t he e arly burial subcomplex i n t he p lacement o f one o r more vessels i n the chest area o f a f lexed i ndividual. The s econd burial subcomplex i s c haracterized by t he u se o f a s ingle inverted vessel n ear t he head o f t he i ndividual. Both o f these burial s ubcomplexes s ee t he u se o f s lipped and unslipped Swasey-related and Mamom-related types. No subcomplexes c an be d efined f or the Middle P reclassic in the Tayasal-Paxcaman z one; t he z one, however, f its within the Mamom c eramic s phere and t he pottery f or this period i s c haracterized by a harder paste a nd g lossier s lip t han the pottery o f s ucceeding c omplexes. For the Late P reclassic, both S anta Rita Corozal and Tayasal f all within the Chicanel c eramic s phere. The inclusion o f both o f these s ites within this s phere, however, masks s ome major d ifferences between t he associated complexes. At Tayasal, monochrome s lipping i n red, b lack, c ream, a nd a mixture o f a ll t hree o f these s lips characterizes the Kax c eramic complex. At S anta Rita Corozal only extremely rarely i s s omething not r eds lipped. S anta R ita Corozal a lso witnesses the heavy u se o f c hocolate pots ( Fig. 2 b), a f orm very r arely f ound at Tayasal. The o nly P reclassic period burial excavated at the s ite o f T ayasal c onsisted o f a s ingle individual sandwiched in b etween two S ierra Red vessels. At S anta Rita Corozal, a v ariety o f burial s ubcomplexes exist, most of t hem a ssociated with the t ypical S ierra Red l arge d ish ( Fig. 2 c). These d ishes are p laced near or over the heads of f lexed individuals throughout the Late P reclassic period; when they c over t he entire body, they are o ften 5 1

A .F. C hase and D .Z. Chase

v essels

4 ) H

5 2

P utting T ogether t he P ieces found covering o ther S ierra Red vessels, particularly one or more c hocolate pots or d ishes i n combination with a smaller f lorero or a j ar with h igh r im. Protoclassic The P rotoclassic e ra i s r epresented at both s ites, but in very d issimilar ways. Both S anta R ita Corozal and the Tayasal-Paxcaman z one could b e considered a s peripheral members i n t he F loral P ark c eramic sphere, yet major differences c haracterize t he c eramics f rom the two areas. I n • the T ayasal area, t he Yaxcheel c eramic complex appears to be a l ocal development out o f the s ucceeding Late Preclassic c omplex; the Aguacate ceramic group i s represented i n d omestic deposits. Two cache s ubcomplexes may be defined f or the Protoclassic Tayasal r egion. Both are characterized by l ip-to-lip patterns: i n one, t etrapod Paxbono B lack v essels ( Fig. 3 a) o f l ocal manufacture are p laced b eneath a n a ltar; i n the s econd s ubcomplex, Aguila Orange d ishes ( Fig. 3 b) a re cached with or without human s kulls. T etrapod p lates ( Fig. 3 c), t etrapod composite forms, and groove-hooked s triated vessels may a lso be potentially defined i n a r itual, c eremonial destruction s ubcomplex f or t he area. A burial s ubcomplex consists o f monochrome Aguila Orange d ishes, many s et l ip-to-lip, about an extended individual. S anta R ita C orozal a lso has P rotoclassic materials. Extended burials o ccur f or the f irst t ime at t he s ite, but t he f lexed p attern continues a s well. I n c ontrast to t he P reclassic, vessels are p laced i n an upright position with t he bodies and i nclude derivative S ierra R ed chocolate p ots, s ome d erivative Polvero B lack v essels, Guacamallo Red-on-orange t etrapod p lates, a nd I xcanrio Polychrome t etrapod bowls ( Fig. 4 ). While Protoclassic pottery exists i n other deposits f rom S anta Rita, t he u se o f P rotoclassic horizon markers in i nterments at S anta Rita c ontrasts with t he u se o f s imilar vessels only i n n o-burial deposits i n the Tayasal P axcaman z one. Early C lassic Polychromy d oes not characterize the c eramics o f the Tayasal-Paxcaman z one during the E arly C lassic period, nor do b asal f lange p lates. I nstead there i s an emphasis on the monochrome B alanza B lack and Aguila Orange c eramics. Two burial s ubcomplexes may b e e stablished. I n one, a f lexed i ndividual i s a ccompanied by e ither an Aguila Orange p late o r one o r two monochrome Balanza B lack bowls. I n t he s econd, an extended i ndividual i s accompanied by a host o f Aquila Red and Balanza B lack pottery which i ncluded f langed p lates, r ing-base dishes or bowls, a nd t ripod cylinders ( Fig. 5 ). Unlike the Tayasal a rea, S anta R ita Corozal i s characterized by T zakol-style polychrome b asal f lange bowls; these occur both i n r efuse deposits and i n a burial s ubcomplex. A c ache s ubcomplex 5 3

A .F . C hase a nd D .Z. C hase

* v 1 1 1 L a

/ 0 1 2 Cm

Il l 3 . Protoclassic vessels f rom the Tayasal-Paxcaman z one: a ) Paxbono B lack: Paxbono variety from Cache T 1C-3. b ) Aguila Orange: Aguila variety f rom Cache T1C-3. c ) Aguacate Orange: variety unspecified f rom P .D. T1E-1.

5 4

P utting T ogether t he P ieces

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A .F . C hase a nd D .Z. C hase

a

0 1 2Cm

Fig. 5 . Early C lassic vessels from Bu. T 12B-1 at T ayasal: a ) Balanza B lack: Balanza variety. b ) Aquila O range: Aquila variety. c ) Aguila Orange: Oxpayac variety. d ) Aquila Orange: Aguila variety.

occurs which i s r epresented by poorly f ired, u nslipped, large, rounded dishes and cut-out and modeled c ylinders. Three Early C lassic burial s ubcomplexes may be defined f or Santa Rita Corozal. The f irst i s characterized by a flexed individual whose head i s c overed by a Dos Arroyos polychrome p late ( Fig. 6 c). The s econd i s characterized 5 6

P utting Together t he P ieces

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A .F . C hase a nd D .Z . C hase by an extended i ndividual a ssociated w ith polychrome b owls a nd i nverted bowls c overing e xtra s kulls. The t hird i s c haracterized by a n extended i ndividual a ccompanied by p olychrome p lates, cylinder t ripods ( Fig. 6 a) or p edestaled b owls ( Fig. 6 b), and o ther bowl forms. The t hird S anta R ita b urial s ubcomplex i s very c omparable to the o nes f ound i n t he T ayasal-Paxcaman z one a nd i s i ndicative o f e lite t ies i n t he belief s ystems between the two r egions. These d ata would i ndicate that the e lite o f b oth T ayasal and S anta R ita w ere encompassed within the s ame s ocial n etwork, while the non-elite f ollowed o ther, m ore l ocalized, p atterns. L ate C lassic D uring t he L ate C lassic, a ny s imilarities t hat e xisted b etween the S anta R ita Corozal and T ayasal c eramic s equences h ave d isappeared. At S anta R ita, two b urial s ubcomplexes may b e defined. The f irst c onsists o f a f lexed i ndividual whose h ead i s c overed b y a polychrome p late ( Fig. 7 a); the s econd c onsists o f an e xtended i ndividual whose h ead i s e ither c overed o r a ccompanied by a b owl ( Fig. 7 b). While t he p lates a re w ithin t he l ocal f ineware t radition, t he bowls i nclude both l ocal t ypes and t radewares. The L ate C lassic period at Tayasal may be subdivided i nto t wo parts. F or t he e arlier part o f t he Late C lassic, o ne b urial s ubcomplex i s characterized by f lexed i ndividuals with Molina B lack j ars while another i s c haracterized by extended i ndividuals a ccompanied b y S axche O range P olychrome u nfooted o r f ooted d ishes and S axche O range P olychrome rounded deep bowls ( Fig. 8 a). I n the t ransition b etween t he earlier and l ater C lassic p eriod a t T ayasal, t he d eep r ounded bowl may be r eplaced e ither by a r ounded-bottom b owl ( Fig. 8 b) a nd/or a c ylinder v ase. Two cache s ubcomplexes may be established f or t he T ayasal-Paxcaman z one during t he e arly part o f t he L ate C lassic p eriod: t he f irst c onsists o f m iniature v essels with l ids; the s econd contains t ecomate-form bowls ( Saxche O range and Molino B lack). T he l ater p art o f t he C lassic p eriod i n the T ayasalP axcaman z one s ees the presence o f two burial s ubcomplexes. I n the f irst, a n extended individual i s b uried w ith a s ingle bowl under t he h ead. I n the s econd, a n e xtended or p artially f lexed i ndividual i s accompanied b y a t l east one t ripod p late and o ne o r more p olychrome b owls ( Fig. 8 c); one o f t he bowls i s a lways beneath t he s kull. This s econd L ate C lassic b urial s ubcomplex may b e f aceted f or a n e arly v ersion o f i t i ncludes a c ylinder v ase. A L ate C lassic c ache s ubcomplex consists o f a p olychrome c ylinder v ase and t ripod p late. A generalized c enser c omplex f or L ate C lassic T ayasal a rea e mphasized t all modeled a nd f langed c ylinders. L ate C lassic refuse 5 8

P utting T ogether t he P ieces

v essels

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P utting T ogether t he P ieces z one a lso t end to d eposits f rom t he Tayasal-Paxcaman ( Fig. 8 d). I t i s e mphasize a v ariety o f bowl f orms f major d ifferences i nteresting to note that i n spite o o f Tayasal and S anta b etween the L ate C lassic ceramics mortuary s ubcomplexes R ita Corozal, b oth s ites contain h a f ocus on s ingle t hat emphasize e xtended burials wi t o f a s hared r itual b owl forms; this may be indicativ e b elief s ystem. T erminal

C lassic/Early Postclassic

The end o f the C lassic period at S anta Rita Corozal i s marked by t he widespread appearance o f double-mouthed w aterjars ( Fig. 9 a), both Thin and Puuc S late wares, t rickle wares, a nd Achote B lack. Achote B lack ( Fig. 9 b) a nd Kik Red g roup bowls ( see D . Chase 1 982b) occur in e xtended burials. While i t i s evident that there i s heavy p opulation at S anta Rita Corozal, at l east as r epresented b y the pottery, i t i s a lso l ikely that a ll o f the r elated s ubcomplexes f or this era have not been f ound. I t i s s uggested that m ost burial patterns underwent r adical c hange in the transition f rom the C lassic t o t he P ostclassic. C eramically, S anta Rita Corozal s ees s trong Y ucatec i nfluences in t erms o f s latewares a nd t rickle wares during h is period. Tayasal witnesses the c ontinuation o f t he Late C lassic tradition i nto i ts i nitial P ostclassic period. The T erminal C lassic period i s characterized by a continuation o f Late C lassic period mortuary patterns. These include both t he inclusion o f multiple p olychrome vessels o f bowl and p late f orm ( Figs. 1 0a and 1 0c) w ith a s ingle extended i ndividual and the i nclusion " of a s ingle bowl, usually Pepet I ncised ( Fig. 1 0b), beneath t he head o f the extended i ndividual. Additionally, Augustine Red ceramics are i ntroduced i nto the Tayasal region. A tripod p late ( Fig. 1 0d) occurs at the s ide o f a n e xtended individual i n the only i nterment at T ayasal containing Augustine c eramics. An Augustine period c ache subcomplex consists o f a f oreign P lumbate j ar tradeware. An A ugustine related censer s ubcomplex emphasized l arge u nslipped pedestaled dishes. I t has been previously s uggested that a derivative C lassic t radition and the n ew Augustine tradition existed together f or s ome period of t ime i n t he Lake Peten area ( A. Chase 1 985c). Middle

and

Late

Postclassic

I n the T ayasal-Paxcaman z one, t he i nitial introduction of Augustine Red c eramics a nd Nohpek short rimmed ollas i s f ollowed by a period o f l ocal experimentation that l eads to the appearance o f Paxcaman Red c eramics during t he M iddle Postclassic period. During the M iddle Postclassic, extended burials still continued in the T ayasal a rea; i n t hese the body was burned in s itu and sometimes accompanied by small h igh n ecked j ars,

6 1

A .F. Chase and D .Z. C hase

-

vessels

_ o

62

P utting T ogether t he P ieces

\ A\

e.

\ s .

.A .

\

. •

\ '

A

• ; $

$ '

. , a

0 1 2 Cm

IH

b

c

d

F ig. 1 0. Terminal C lassic/Early Postclassic vessels from Tayasal: a ) Danta Orange Polychrome: variety unspecified f rom Bu. T 7B-2. b ) Pepet Incised: variety unspecified f rom Bu. T 3OPP-1. c ) Danta Orange Polychrome: variety unspecified f rom B u. T7B-2. d ) Augustine Red: Augustine variety from Bu. T 9I-2. 6 3

A .F . C hase a nd D .Z . C hase e ither o f l ocal ( Fig. 1 1b) o r f oreign ( Plumbate) A c enser complex consists of f illeted o llas manufacture. led vases ( Figs. ha and 1 1c). L ate a nd pedest a burials i n the Tayasal a rea were f lexed a nd do Postclassic to have been accompanied b y objects other t han n ot appear s hell b eads. At S anta R ita Corozal, a n ew c eramic tradition appeared at the s ite ( D. Chase 1 982a, 1 984). I ts earlier f acet s hows s ome s imilarities to the Tulum ( Päxbono) Red t radition, but i ts l ate f acet manifestation i s more d erivative o f Mayapan-like c eramics. Two, i f not t hree, c enser s ubcomplexes have been defined f or Late Postclassic S anta R ita ( D. Chase 1 985:115-116): p edestaled and modeled d ishes ( Fig. 1 2c), e ffigy human c ensers, and modeled t ripod o llas and cups. Three burial s ubcomplexes a re represented at the s ite ( D. Chase 1 986: 3 57-362). Mass burials o f more t han one i ndividual occur f requently; these a re s ometimes accompanied by e ffigy censer f ragments or f ooted p lates and bowls ( Fig. 1 2b), redware e ffigy collared r im j ars, and p lainware o llas. F lexed b urials o f individuals on t heir s ides a lso o ccur; these are s ometimes accompanied by water j ars and modeled r ed ware j ars. The e lite of S anta R ita, i n c ontrast, were buried s eated upright and u sually without c eramic vessels, b ut often with o ther e laborate artifacts. Refuse d eposits, p robably f rom c eremonial contexts, contain a mixture o f a ll known f orms i ncluding c ensers, j ars, and bowls ( Fig. 1 2a); these a lso c ontain a s ignificant amount o f painted geometric decoration n ot f ound i n other contexts at the s ite. The L ate Postclassic c ache s ubcomplex f rom S anta Rita C orozal i s well k nown and f ocuses on modeled e ffigy f igures or f igurines ( Fig. 1 3), u sually encased i n a l idded p lainware o lla ( D. Chase 1 985). A s econd c ache s ubcomplex c onsists o f a b lack t radeware c ached beneath a wall. Whereas the S anta R ita Corozal P ostclassic c eramics s how strong ties to the northern l owlands, the Tayasal Postclassic c eramics s how an indigenous development. H istoric

P eriod

With the exception o f o ne majolica s herd, no materials definitely attributable t o the Spanish have been l ocated a t the s ite o f Tayasal. However, c eramics equivalent to those found in t he modern village o f San Jose on t he north s hore o f L ake P eten d o o ccur a rchaeologically and are known a s Chilo Unshipped. How much t ime d epth may b e a scribed t o Chilo Unshipped i s unknown at this t ime. I n c ontrast, t he H istoric p eriod a t S anta Rita Corozal i s well r epresented i n that Spanish goods ( majolica and o live j ars) d ating to the s ixteenth c entury are f ound and abundant n ineteenth c entury English c eramics a re a lso p resent, paralleling t he development o f modern Corozal Town and t he s ugar i ndustry o f n orthern Belize. 6 4

Putting Together t he P ieces

0

w> 1 4 14 J0 e 4 ) 0n ,G , C

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rd

-

▪ e W W a d o W W W >

r 1 H W W r e b W r t 0 0 Z

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m

A .F . C hase and D .Z . Chase

a

0 1 2 cm I I

F ig. 1 2. Middle and Late Postclassic vessels from Santa Rita Corozal: a ) Rita Red: Rita variety f rom Deposit P6E1 . b ) Kulel Modeled: Kulel variety f rom S .D. P37A-2. c ) Pum Modeled: Pum variety f rom Deposit P 6E-1.

6 6

P utting T ogether t he P ieces

0 1 2 cm

H 1

F ig. 1 3. Late P ostclassic Cao Modeled: Cao variety c ache f igurine o f a warrior f rom S .D. P 37A-1 i n S anta R ita Corozal Structure 1 83.

CONCLUSIONS This very b rief presentation o f known c eramic ( and other) s ubcomplexes f rom Tayasal a nd S anta R ita points to broad s imilarities and d ifferences. A general s imilarity, t o the point o f f ull ceramic sphere membership, i s s een between the two ceramic s equences only during t he Late P reclassic period. While the E arly C lassic p eriod c omplexes differ, the extant burial s ubcomplexes i ndicate t hat the two regions were politically t ied together. The r egionality o f northern Belize, apparent i n the d ivergent pottery t raditions found at different s ites, i s evident during t he Early C lassic period and i s well e xpressed by t he L ate C lassic. I n particular, A ltun Ha ( Pendergast 1 979, 1 982) shows a c eramic t rajectory d istinct f rom t hat a t S anta Rita. A lthough noted a s having had some k ind o f c ontact with Teotihuacan e arly i n i ts history ( Pendergast 1 971), the published material from A ltun Ha reveals l ittle c eramic evidence o f t he k ind t ermed " Teotihuacan i nfluence" in central P eten; i n f act, while S anta R ita and Tayasal a re i nvolved in a s imilar b urial subcomplex s howing these i nfluences, A ltun Ha a ppears to be d eveloping what becomes the generalized e arly Late C lassic ( or Tepeu 1 ) bowl tradition that l ater 6 7

A .F.

Chase and

D .Z.

Chase

emerges i n central Peten. S anta R ita Corozal never a dopts this S axche Orange bowl tradition, b ut Tayasal and most o f central P eten do; thus i t would a ppear t hat part o f the explanation f or t he pottery t ransition f rom T zakol to Tepeu f orms i n the Peten and the a ssociated Maya h iatus i s to b e f ound i n c entral Belize. While c entral Peten adopts, continues, and modifies what appears t o be a B elizean l egacy, A ltun Ha continues a long the regionalized path f ollowed by most s ites in northern Belize during the L ate C lassic period ( see A . Chase 1 986:121-124). Other g laring questions emerge when the two s equences a nd their s ubcomplexes a re compared. Why i s t here an emphasis on r edwares at P reclassic S anta R ita Corozal to the virtual exclusion o f creamwares and b lackwares? Why are b lackwares s o much emphasized during the Early C lassic period a t Tayasal? Could the emphasis on these two colors, b lack and red, reflect other meanings - s uch a s e ast a nd west i n the Maya a rea o r i s t his too farf etched? The Protoclassic period i n t he Maya area i s one that a lso demands more research. We h ave been looking for t ies to t he s outh, but g iven the h ighly visible role that Teotihuacan p lays i n the Early C lassic Maya area, p erhaps we s hould l ook north toward c entral Mexico and maybe to t he valley of Oaxaca. Could t he P rotoclassic and Teotihuacan Early C lassic f lorescence o f the Maya b e the r esult o f t rade competition between T eotihuacan and Monte A lban mixed together with a dose o f indigenous Maya development? Overall, the S anta Rita Corozal a nd Tayasal sequences emphasize i nternal developments with s everal exceptions. The P reclassic developments at both s ites represent s mooth trajectories. At Tayasal, what P rotoclassic e lements o ccur are f it i nto an existing f ramework much a s the s lightly l ater Teotihuacan e lements that appear a t the s ite. The real s hift in Tayasal pottery traditions o ccurs i n the t ransition f rom the Early C lassic to the L ate C lassic period. At S anta Rita, the P rotoclassic and E arly C lassic periods a re characterized by a wealth o f different f ineware pottery, most o f i t i ntroduced, at l east i nitially, to the area. The transition f rom the E arly C lassic to L ate C lassic i s a smooth one, and Santa R ita Corozal i s totally outside o f the T epeu c eramic s phere. The t ' ate and Terminal C lassic developments at both s ites are r elatively smooth but the transition b etween the C lassic and Postclassic periods i s c haracterized by the appearance o f new pottery i n both r egions. At Tayasal, this new pottery i s e stablished during the E arly Postclassic and develops i ts own r egional tradition which continues through t he Late Postclassic period. At S anta Rita Corozal, the pottery i s d erivative of Mayapan and e specially f lourishes during the Late P ostclassic with i ts own d istinctive c aching pattern. I n t erms of overall M aya development, both S anta Rita Corozal a nd Tayasal suggest 6 8

P utting T ogether t he P ieces that the Early C lassic and T erminal C lassic/Early Postclassic periods a re c ritical to understanding who the Maya were and what t hey became. Further definition and consideration o f c eramic s ubcomplexes will greatly a id i n r econstructing Maya p rehistory. Maya pottery exists w ithin a b ehavioral context that i s r eflected in s ubcomplexes. I ntersite c omparisons are o ften r estricted to general s imilarities through the use o f s uch concepts a s c eramic s phere or h idden because o f the d ifficulties i nvolved i n t ype definitions by d ifferent r esearchers. Thus, to attempt to understand Maya b ehavior through c eramics mandates that we l ook for other a venues such as t he u se o f t he c ontext i n which special p ottery assemblages occur. I t i s important f irst to understand e ach s ite and i ts s equence i ndividually before pigeon-holing i ts ceramics i n t erms o f other sequences. I t i s even more important to attempt to d efine how ceramics a re s pecifically u sed a nd what behavior i s a ssociated with them, i f possible. While t hese subcomplexes may b e described i n t erms o f their constituent types, i t i s c lear that t he f orm o f t he vessel i s t he most important attribute to the Maya o f S anta R ita Corozal and Tayasal. The various f orms that make up c ertain subcomplexes, when combined with their understood f unction and r ecovered p lacement, may a llow the i nterpretation o f " broader cultural i nteraction p atterns" in the overall M aya r egion by pointing to d ifferences and s imilarities in the contextual use o f pottery.

Acknowledgments The r esearch r eported i n t his p aper was s upported through a l arge number o f s ources. The i nitial work at Tayasal was undertaken by the American S ection o f The University Museum o f the University o f P ennsylvania. The f inal two s easons o f research at S anta R ita Corozal were funded by the N ational S cience Foundation through g rants no. BNS-8318531 a nd no. BNS-8509304. Vessel i llustrations shown in F igures 3 , 5 , 8 a, 8 b, 1 0 and 1 1 were prepared by S arah J . Ruch; a ll others were done by D .Z. Chase.

References

BALL, 1 976

J . W.

" Ceramic Sphere Affiliations o f the Barton Ramie Ceramic Complexes," i n P rehistoric P ottery Analysis and the Ceramics of B arton Ramie i n the Belize V alley, by J .C. Gifford, pp. 3 23-30. Memoirs o f the Peabody Museum, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University). 6 9

A .F.

1 977

CHASE, 1 979

Chase

and

The Archaeological Ceramics of Becan, Mexico, Middle American Research Publication 4 3, ( New Orleans: University).

D .Z.

Chase

Campeche, I nstitute Tulane

A .F. " Regional Development i n t he Tayasal-Paxcaman Z one, E l Peten, Guatemala: A Preliminary Statement," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 1:86-119.

1 983

"A Contextual Consideration o f the TayasalPaxcaman Z one, E l Peten, Guatemala," Ph. D. diss., University of Pennsylvania.

1 984

" The Ceramic Complexes o f t he Tayasal-Paxcaman Zone," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 3:27-41.

1 985a

" Archaeology i n the Maya Heartland: Paxcaman Zone, Lake P eten, Archaeology 3 8(1):32-39.

1 985b

" Contextual Implications o f P ictorial Vases from Tayasal, Peten," in Fourth Round Table, 1 980: Vol. VI, ed. M .G. Robertson and E . Benson, pp. 1 93-201. ( Precolumbian Art Research Institute: San Francisco).

1 985c

" Postclassic Peten Interaction Spheres: The View f rom Tayasal," in The Lowland Maya Postclassic, eds. A . Chase and P . Rice, pp. 1 84-205. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

1 986

" Time Depth or Vacuum: The 1 1.3.0.0.0. Correlation and the Lowland Maya Postclassic," in Late Lowland Maya Civilization: C lassic to Postclassic, eds. J . A. S abloff and E . W. Andrews V ., pp. 9 9-140. ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

CHASE, 1 983

A .F., AND D .Z. CHASE La Ceramica de l a Zona P eten Itza, Guatemala University Museum ).

CHASE, 1 981

D .Z. " The Maya Postclassic Archaeology 3 4(1):25-33.

at

The TayasalGuatemala,"

T ayasal-Paxcaman ( Philadelphia:

S anta

Rita

Lag( ) The

Corozal,"

1 982a

" Spatial and Temporal Variability Northern Belize," Ph. D. d iss., Pennsylvania.

1 982b

" The I kilik Ceramic Complex at Nohmul, Northern Belize," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 2:71-81.

7 0

in Postclassic University of

P utting T ogether t he P ieces

1 983

" Perceiving the Past: Typologies and the Preclassic Period i n the Maya Lowlands," paper presented at the 8 2nd Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association, Chicago.

1 984

" The Late Postclassic Pottery of Santa Rita Corozal, Belize: The Xabalxab Ceramic Complex," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 3:18-26.

1 985

" Ganned . But Not Forgotten: Late Postlassic Archaeology and Ritual at Sata Rita Corozal, Belize," in The Lowland Maya Postclassic, eds. A . Chase and P . Rice, pp. 1 04-125. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

1 986

" Social and Political Organization in the Land o f Cacao and Honey: Correlating the Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Postclassic Lowland Maya," in Late Lowland Maya C ivilization: C lassic to Postclassic, eds. J . A. Sabloff and E . W. Andrews V ., pp. 3 47-377. ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

CHASE, 1 986

D . Z ., AND A .F. CHASE Offerings to the Gods: Maya Archaeology R ita Corozal ( Orlando: University o f F lorida).

CULBERT, 1 977

at Santa Central

T .P. " Early Maya Development at Tikal, Guatemala," in The Origins of Maya Civilization, ed. R .E. W. Adams, pp. 2 7-43. ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

KOSAKOWSKY, L .J. 1 982 "A Preliminary Summary Variability at Cuello, Cultura Maya 1 2:26-42. PENDERGAST, D . M. 1 971 " Evidence o f Contact at 3 6(4):455-460.

Early Altun

of Formative Ceramic Belize," Ceramica de

Teotihuacan-Lowland Maya Ha," American Antiquity

1 979

Excavations at A ltun Ha, Belize, 1 964-1970: Volume 1 ( Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum).

1 982

Excavations at Altun Volume 2 ( Toronto: Royal

PRING, 1 976

D .C. " Outline Sequence,"

Ha, Belize, 1 964-1970: Ontario Museum).

of the Northern Belize Ceramic Ceramica de Cultura Maya 9 :11-42.

7 1

A .F.

WILLEY, 1 967

Chase

and D .Z.

Chase

G .R., T .P. CULBERT, AND R . E. W. ADAMS "Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Report from the 1 965 Guatemala City Conference," American Antiquity 3 2(3):289-315.

7 2

T erm ina l C lass ic t o E ar ly H is tor ic P er iod V esse l F orms f rom B e l ize E lizabeth G raham

The s equence o f Terminal C lassic to H istoric period vessel forms i n B elize r emains to b e d ocumented more fully, but there i s enough i nformation extant to permit s ome degree o f g eneralization about form changes and the co-occurrence o f attributes that are diagnostic o f specific t ime p eriods. My f rame o f r eference f or the Postclassic i s d erived l argely f rom my work at the s ite o f Lamanai, i n n orthern Belize, f rom 1 979 to the p resent. I have used this i nformation, a s well a s data f rom s ites ( see Fig. 1 ) in t he Belize, Caves Branch, S ibun, and S tann Creek valleys ( Graham 1 985, 1 983; Graham et a l. 1 980, 1 985), and A ltun H a ( Pendergast 1 979, 1 982a) to t ie s ome a spects o f the L amanai s equence to Postclassic c eramic events elsewhere. In t he a ccompanying i llustrations I h ave attempted to assemble f orms that r epresent periods within the Postclassic. Not a ll chronological p eriods at Lamanai have been named because only a portion o f the c eramic c ollection has b een analyzed. However, provisional names are in u se f or s ome phases and these c an s erve a s p reliminary devices by which to d ivide the P ostclassic.

THE S EQUENCE

I N PERSPECTIVE

The t ransition e ffected f rom the Late C lassic to the P ostclassic i s most c learly manifested at Lamanai i n c onstruction a nd modification o f an a ssemblage c ontinuous o f e lite residential s tructures ( Plaza N 10/3) n orth o f a c omplex that i ncludes N 10-9, a l arge ceremonial c eremonial that c ontinued to be modified until at l east the s tructure t hirteenth c entury ( see Pendergast 1 985). I n most areas o f the s ite, however, a s well a s at other s ites in Belize, w hat can viably be called the end o f the C lassic period i s most sharply i n evidence i n t he nature of changes i n the 7 3

E lizabeth Graham

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F ig. 1 . Map Footprint Cave.

3

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2 0

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o f Belize with s ites mentioned in text. 2 : Actun Tzimin. 3 : Chanona Cave.

7 4

m i km

1 :

V essel F orms f rom B elize artifact i nventory and a rchitectural s equence f rom the e ighth to n inth c entury, despite the f act t hat continuities in c eramic t radition a re p resent. Therefore a t L amanai, a s e lsewhere i n the s outhern l owlands ( Chase and Chase 1 985; S abloff a nd Andrews 1 986), we a re turning t o the Terminal C lassic period to i solate the trends that i n retrospect c an be s een a s t he roots o f Postclassic culture. I will n ot d eal with t he Late to Terminal C lassic changes i n a ny detail here ( see Graham 1 985:228-229), but I w ill outline t hree important points about the Terminal C lassic period t hat b ear on t he way the c eramics f rom Terminal C lassic t imes onward c an be a ssessed. The f irst c ritical point i s that i f t he f ocus o f a rchaeological i nvestigation i s any a spect o f Maya occupation dating f rom the n inth c entury or l ater, t hen t he excavation s trategy employed must be d esigned specifically to s uit depositional p atterns that d iffer markedly f rom p atterns c haracteristic o f t he C lassic period. Massive c onstruction d id not cease everywhere but i t diminished c onsiderably. As a r esult, f ar f ewer artifacts are p reserved because only a relatively small p ortion i s s ealed i n deposits bound up in various ways i n c onstruction. T erminal C lassic middens occur, but i n my experience t he c eramics are g enerally preserved only when the middens have been s ealed i n one way or another by l ater o ccupation or construction deposits, o r a re protected by being p iled against or i nside buildings. Evidence for Terminal C lassic o r l ater occupation a ssociated with small s tructures i s u sually r evealed only by e xtensive exposure o f t hese s tructures, a s s everal c enturies o f u se can o ften be represented by only t hin s catters o f d ebris. F rom T erminal C lassic t imes onward, the context within which the c eramic evidence i s viewed i s not comparable to the c ontext o f C lassic ceramics, and the approach f or s tructuring s equences o f occupation o r d rawing i nferences a bout s ettlement patterns must b e t ailored to s uit what i s known about Postclassic c onditions. The s econd point i s that our understanding o f the c hanges that t 000k p lace f rom C lassic to Postclassic t imes will be increased greatly i f we l ook not at c eramics a lone--which, t hough they i ndicate a trend toward r egionalization, a lso s how a spects o f c ontinuity--but r ather at the correlation o f T erminal C lassic c eramic f orms and t ypes with t he a ppearance o f a n ew l ithic t echnology c haracterized by s ide-notched points. To chart t he adoption o f s ide-notched l ithic technology i n the s outhern l owlands i s, to a g reat extent, to chart the s pread o f Postclassic culture. Though the correlation o f v arious a spects o f material c ulture i s a g iven i n

7 5

E lizabeth G raham a rchaeological i nterpretation, the T erminal C lassic p erhaps the most c ritical p eriod i n Maya prehistory which to consider c eramic f orms a nd types a gainst b ackdrop of l ithic t echnological change.

i s i n a

F inally, though i t i s true that f rom Terminal C lassic t o H istoric t imes the c eramic a ssemblages a re c haracterized by great regionalization, i t i s equally t rue t hat a s Postclassic pottery becomes i ncreasingly f amiliar, i ts f orms and treatments are paralleled f rom s ite t o s ite. From s uch recognition o f parallels, a more c oherent Postclassic s equence i s beginning to emerge ( see Chase and R ice 1 985). O f necessity, however, the s equence begins with a n ew l ook at the Terminal C lassic. I n the d iscussion t hat f ollows, most o f the vessels i llustrated are f rom L amanai, but a s mall p roportion are f rom A ltun Ha, the Belize valley ( Negroman-Tipu and Valley o f P eace), the S ibun valley ( Actun Polbilche and Chanona c ave), and the Caves B ranch valley ( Actun T zimin and Footprint caves). TERMINAL CLASSIC-EARLY POSTCLASSIC

PERIOD

F igures 2 and 3 i llustrate s ome o f t he vessels that a re characteristic o f t he Terminal C lassic to e arly Postclassic period in B elize. Evidence f rom L amanai, A ltun Ha, and s ites i n the Stann Creek D istrict i ndicates that most of these v essels were i n u se f rom t he n inth to t he e leventh c entury. At Lamanai i n particular, massive

F ig. 2 . ( note: " DOA" s erves to designate the Department o f Archaeology's catalogue numbers i n B elize; where I do n ot have t he s pecific vessel number, o nly t he s ite c atalogue number i s g iven. A ll other catalogue or l ot n umbers are those o f the s ite excavators.) a . Lamanai, LA 6 76/1. P laza N 10/3 g roup, midden under demolition material between N 10-15 and N 10-28. b . Lamanai, LA 6 61/2. N 10-15, f rom core of unit o f c onstruction in one o f the rooms. c . Lamanai, LA 6 78/1. N 10-15, midden on north s ide o f b ench at west end. d . Lamanai, LA 1 64/6. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/39. e . Lamanai, LA 6 56/6. Refuse p it a t t he northeast c orner of N 10-15. f . Actun T zimin, DOA 3 1/189-1: 4 2. g . A ltun H a, RP 2 39/1. S tr. E-7, 2 nd A , Burial E -7/16. h . A ltun H a, R P 1 35/17. S tr. E -7, f inal-occupation m idden, west f ace o f p latform. 1 . Lamanai, LA 5 69/1. P 8-103 r efuse, west s ide. j . Actun Polbilche, AP 2 /2. A lcove 1 . k . Actun Polbilche, AP 2 /9. A lcove 1 . m . Lamanai, LA 6 40/4. N 10-15, Cache N 10-15/2. 7 6

V essel F orms f rom B elize

7 7

E lizabeth G raham and continuous construction in t he P laza N 10/3 g roup, a s noted above, i s documented during this period. I n other a reas o f the s ite l arge middens that c ontained most o f the c eramic f orms o f t he p eriod have been f ound a long the t errace f aces at the s ides o f Late C lassic buildings and i n various rooms. I n at l east two architectural groups, the P laza N 10/3 complex and N 10/8, these ceramics are overlain b y f orms and types representative o f the Middle Postclassic period or " Buk" phase. F igure 2 b i s n ot a r epresentative Lamanai f orm, though the l ip t reatment may be a L amanai variation on a f oreign theme. I h ave i ncluded i t because i t i s one o f the f ew examples o f a f orm more c losely akin to t hose o f c entral B elize and Peten--a f lat bottomed bowl with " oven" f eet. The practice o f producing enlarged, hollow, and vented f eet i s not common at Lamanai until the Buk phase, whereas s uch treatment appears with greater frequency i n P eten and c entral Belize in Terminal C lassic t imes ( see, e .g., P endergast 1 969; S abloff 1 975). The o ccurrence o f t he f lat bottomed bowl with l arge, hollow, vented f eet with Terminal C lassic c eramics a t Lamanai i s consistent w ith dating f arther s outh, but i ts i nfrequent ap i _earance s uggests that c eramic trends were i n progress at — , , inanai t hat were d ifferent f rom those in P eten and s ome p arts o f Belize. O f the other vessels, F igures 2 d, f , and h r epresent a f orm that i s a marker f or the Terminal C lassic p eriod. Though I am not aware o f t he occurrence o f this f orm i n P eten, i t i s widespread i n Belize and occurs as a variety o f types ( e.g., Roaring Creek R ed a nd Daylight Orange, t ypes e stablished i n Gifford 1 976). I t i s f ound at s ites i n the Stann Creek D istrict ( Graham 1 983, 1 985), i n the Caves Branch valley ( at Actun T zimin), the S ibun valley ( at Actun Polbilche [ Pendergast 1 974]), at A ltun H a ( Pendergast 1 982a), a nd i n northern B elize at Lamanai and S an Jose ( Thompson 1 939). I t i s a l ong-lived f orm that, a s P endergast h as pointed out ( personal communication, 1 985), s eems to have evolved by e longation o f t he pedestal b ase a nd exaggeration o f the l ip i nto the " chalice" f orm s o characteristic o f the Buk phase ( see F ig. 5 d, e ,; and P endergast 1 981a: F ig. 1 5). The b asal-break bowls o f F igure 2 e, g , and i a lso appear to be antecedent f orms of B uk -phase pedestal base bowls s uch a s F igure 4 a and b . Terminal C lassic s lipped bowls s uch a s F igure 2 c a re common, a nd s eem to be the antecedent f orm f or Buk bowls with e laborate i ncised designs s uch as F igure 5 j and k . Large j ars w ith s lipped or washed r ims a re common i n Belize f rom Middle P reclassic to P ostclassic t imes. I n t he Terminal C lassic period the r ims are s lipped red down to the shoulder, and the bodies o f the j ars c an b e 7 8

V essel F orms f rom B elize s triated o r p lain. The forms and t reatment represented by F igure 2 j and k are common at Lamanai, though the i llustrated vessels are f rom Actun Polbilche. F igure 2 j i s n otable i n that t he t reatment o f t he r im presages the s harp f lare c haracteristic o f j ars f rom t he Buk phase t hrough early H istoric t imes. The j ar of F igure 2m shows a bulge i n t he n eck that becomes a more common attribute i n P ostclassic t imes, whereas the f lat b ottomed t ripod b owl o f Figure 2 a i s reminiscent o f Late C lassic forms. A side f rom t he f orms i llustrated here, there i s a b ottle s hape t hat i s a lso d iagnostic o f t he Terminal C lassic period; l ike t he bowls of F igure 2 d, f , and h , it o ccurs in both northern and c entral B elize ( Gifford 1 976:240, F ig. 1 48; P endergast 1 985: F ig. 2 f). There i s a lso a barrel- o r cylindrical-shaped vase form that occurs at L amanai with modeled-carved decoration ( see examples o f F ig. 3 ); the f orm i s common in central Belize, and may, in f act, be more t ypical o f that r egion t han o f t he north. Modeled-carved vessels a re problematic, to say the l east. I know o f only one f rom a s tratified c ontext in B elize--a c ache v essel excavated at Maintzunun a lnng S ilk G rass Creek i n t he S tann C reek D istrict ( Graham et a l. 1 980)--where i t has been dated to the n inth or early tenth c entury. Three o f t he vessels i llustrated here ( Fig. 3 a, b , a nd c ) e xhibit a s cene that i s a common theme on modeled-carved v essels in B elize ( Graham et a l. 1 980). The variety in execution o f the s cene and i n pastes o f the vessels ( compare F ig. 3 a f rom Valley o f P eace with 3 b f rom Chanona c ave) i ndicates that at l east in this case no mold was u sed to c ontrol execution, a s was t he case with P abellon Modeled-carved ( Sabloff 1 975:195). A template or drawings must h ave been i n widespread u se, however, b ecause s tandardized e lements occur at a number o f s ites ( Lamanai, A ltun H a, Valley o f P eace, Chanona cave, and Footprint c ave). Modeled-carved vessel s herds at Lamanai a re f ound mostly as s urface s catters over L ate C lassic buildings, a nd only occasionally i n Terminal C lassic middens. The v essels do not s eem to have b een a c ommon type or form, a nd as e vidence f rom c aves s uggests, t hey may have f unctioned s olely i n a ritual c ontext. Generally s peaking, r ed i s t he dominant Terminal C lassic s lip c olor. The s lips o ften have a Preclassic l ook and f eel, t hough they do not adhere to the vessel body nor retain t he s ort o f l uster t hat i s characteristic o f P reclassic c eramics. Except f or the modeled-carved v essels, c reative e fforts seem to h ave been channeled more i nto experimental f orm variations t han i nto p ainting, i ncision or o ther s urface t reatments. As t he Terminal C lassic p eriod p rogressed, o range s lips appear with more f requency. By t he twelfth c entury, when what we have 7 9

E lizabeth G raham

F ig. 3 . a ) Valley o f Peace, DOA 3 0/191-2. Cave, DOA 3 2-189-5:8. C ) Footprint Cave, DOA d ) Lamanai, OLA 6 61/1, surface of N 10-15. 8 0

b ) Chanona 3 1/189-15:2.

V essel F orms f ra r t B elize c alled Buk p hase c eramics w ere i n f ull f lower, o range was the p referred s lip c olor. At Lamanai, at l east, f orms had b ecome s tandardized--that i s, r epeatedly p roduced o ver a p eriod of t ime--while post-slip incision d ominated vessel d ecorative t reatment. T he p icture f rom c entral B elize i s f ar l ess c lear, because l ess work with a P ostclassic f ocus has b een c arried out there. H owever, the evidence s o f ar f rom T ipu s uggests t hat b y t he twelfth c entury whatever t ies may h ave e xisted w ith n orthern B elize i n e arlier t imes h ad been l oosened, a nd t he c eramic t radition k nown to be characteristic o f P eten h ad c ome t o dominate ( see R ice 1 985).

BUK P HASE - THE M IDDLE POSTCLASSIC M any B uk phase f orms h ave b een p ublished e lsewhere ( Pendergast 1 981a, 1 982b). H ere I h ave c hosen to i llustrate f orms t hat h ave antecedents i n t he T erminal C lassic p eriod, o r that p resage l ater P ostclassic t reatments. T he c eramics on which t he c haracterization o f the B uk p hase i s b ased were produced i n quantity by AD 1 140. This c alendar d ate i s the mean o f a s eries o f r adiocarbon dates f rom S tructure N 10-2, one o f t he major s ources o f burial-associated Buk c eramics. G iven the minimal v ariation i n f orms apparent at t his t ime, i t i s r easonable t o a ssume t hat a t l east s ome o f t he v essels o f this phase h ad b egun to b e made a nd u sed a h alf-century e arlier, a nd p ossibly a s e arly a s AD 1 050, i n order f or this standardization to d evelop. B ecause t here i s c ontinuity a s w ell a s change f rom T erminal C lassic t imes, i t i s difficult t o t hink i n t erms o f a " starting d ate" f or t his phase. What c an b e s aid at t his j uncture i s t hat the most s ignificant c hanges i n emphasis i n c eramic a nd l ithic manufacture took p lace a t L amanai i n t he t enth a nd e leventh c enturies: i ncised d ecoration c ame t o dominate a s d ecorative t reatment; r ed s lips g ave way t o overwhelming u se of a b right, l ustrous o range; t he l ast e asily t raceable t ies t o C lassic Maya c ulture, s uch a s p olychrome d ecoration or e ven t he d epiction o f r itual s cenes on pots i n t he modeled-carved t echnique, d isappeared; a nd s ide n otched p rojectile p oints were manufactured t o t he e xclusion o f the s temmed b ifaces o r s temmed macroblades o f e arlier t imes. B y AD 1 150, Buk phase c eramics a nd l ithics h ad become s tandardized ( at l east i n c omparison w ith the two c enturies t hat h ad g one before); A D 1 050 c an b e r easonably c hosen a s t hat g reat a rchaeological f iction, t he " start" o f t he Buk p hase. I t i s p robably b est, h owever, t o h old t he p inpointing o f a s tarting d ate i n a beyance u ntil a ll o f the materials f rom L amanai a re a nalyzed. A

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E lizabeth G raham d ifficult t o f ix, not b ecause w e l ack evidence, but b ecause o f t he a bundant evidence f or a gradual t ransition to t he C ib p hase, at l east c eramically s peaking, i n both r itual a nd utilitarian vessels. I n a v ery r eal s ense, a ny p recise c losing d ate would b e m isleading, as i ndeed i t would be f or o ther p hases, a t L amanai a nd e lsewhere. S uffice i t to s ay that f rom a bout A D 1 300 t o 1 400 c eramic s lips and s tyles g radually c hanged i n the d irection of a r ange o f t reatments t hat c an b e s aid t o characterize c eramic e xpression o f t he C ib o r " Tulum-related" phase f rom a bout 1 350 t o s ome t ime l ate i n t he f ifteenth c entury. I s ummarize t hese c hanges i n the d iscussion o f C ib c eramics. I n g eneral t erms, Buk -phase c eramics a re notable f or: 1 ) t he p reference f or o range, l ustrous s lips; 2 ) e laborate p ost-slip i ncised d ecoration, u sually l imited t o bands a round v essel r ims, s houlders, o r w alls; 3 ) b owls with t ripod, h ollow vented f eet that o ften o ccur a s effigies o f animals, o r what a re a ssumed t o b e gods; 4 ) f requent o rnamentation o f bowls and s ome c enser f orms with s egmented f langes, o ften with i ncised d ecoration; 5 ) the c ollared- r im t reatment on j ars and w ide mouthed bowls; and 6 ) a pplied e ffigy f igures o f a nimals a nd g ods t hat make t heir appearance o n t he s ides o f c ensers and b owls, o r t hat o ccur a s hollow vessels apparently u sed to c ontain o fferings. The basal-break pedestal base b owls o f t he Buk phase ( Fig. 4 a a nd b ) a nd t he " chalices" ( Fig. 5 d and e ) have b een d iscussed above a s h aving a ntecedents in T erminal C lassic f orms. The s lipped c ensers ( Fig. 5 a, b , a nd c ) a re markers f or t his p hase i n t he P ostclassic, a nd those w ith a pplique e ffigy f igures ( Fig. 5 b; s ee a lso Loten 1 985: F ig. 3 ) c an b e v iewed a s p recursors o f t he M ayapans tyle c ensers ( Chen Mul Modeled) s o c ommon i n Late P ostclassic t imes ( Pendergast 1 981c; S mith 1 971: F ig. 6 7).

F ig.

4 .

a . L amanai, LA 1 02/1. N 10-7, Burial N 10-7/2. b . L amanai, LA 1 22/2. N 10-2, B urial N 10-2/18. c . L amanai, LA 9 2/2. N 10-4, B urial N 10-4/30. d . L amanai, LA 1 18/1. N 10-2, B urial N 10-2/16. e . Lamanai, LA 6 2/71. M idden, west s ide o f N 10-2. f . L amanai, LA 1 3/2. N 10-1, Burial N 10-2, p laced i n a n a ddition t o the main s tructure, a ssoc. w ith c enser s imilar t o F ig. 5 b. g . L amanai, LA 5 8/2. N 10-2, B urial N 10-2/9, post a bandonment. h . Lamanai, LA 1 27/9. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/20. i . L amanai, LA 1 2/1. N 10-2, Cache N 10-2/1. j Lamanai, LA 1 33/1. N 10-4, Burial N 10-4/41. 8 2

V essel F orms f rom B elize

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V essel F orms f ram B elize A wide variety o f " frying p an" c ensers ( Fig. 5 f) appeared at this t ime; many have an animal-head e ffigy embellishing t he tubular handle, and the orientation o f the head indicates that the censer was in f act a kind o f l id that e ither covered another vessel, o r capped the i ncense or other material being burned. The interiors o f the c ensers and the hollow handles are a lways heavily b lackened; s uch b lackening o f the handles obviously could not have occurred i f the vessels were held in the " frying pan" position. Tripod bowls w ith hollow, vented f eet ( Fig. 5 i) were produced in g reat numbers during this phase. Characteristically, t he f eet a re o ften i n t he f orm o f e ffigies ( Pendergast 1 981a, 1 982b). Bowls such a s those s hown in F igure 5 j and k have shape precedents i n Terminal C lassic t imes, s uch as F igure 2 c, but the orange s lip and e laborate bands o f i ncision a re markers f or the Buk phase. The vase i n F igure 5 g i s not a common form, but i t i s notable b ecause i t bears s ome resemblance to the s traight-sided vases o f the Terminal C lassic period, and because it dates f rom the earliest part o f the Buk phase. F igure 5 h i s an example o f the unslipped but o ften painted e ffigy c ensers that were common f rom the Buk phase through to H istoric t imes. Though change i s c learly manifested i n t he s tyle o f the l arge censers with applied anthropomorphic f igures f rom Buk to C ib t imes ( compare F ig. 5 b to the " Mayapan-style" censer of Pendergast 1 981c; F ig. 5 ), t he smaller censers show l ess change through t ime. Unless p aste and/or f iring variations hold s ome c lues, there a re many c ases i n which these s orts o f

Fig.

5 .

a . L amanai, LA 9 5/1. N 10-7, Burial N 10-7/1. b . Lamanai, LA 6 1/1. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/10; fold f oil and c opper bell a lso a ssociated with this burial. c . L amanai, LA 9 5/6. N 10-7, Burial N 10-7/1. d . L amanai, LA 2 43/20. Found s catter over s tair o f N 10-9. e . L amanai, LA 2 43/4. Found s cattered over stair o f N 10-9. f . Lamanai, LA 3 90/3. From c ore o f N9-59, a small p latform built i n the a rea o f the f ormer p laza o f a c eremonial group abandoned a t t he end o f t he C lassic period. g . L amanai, LA 2 1/9. N 10-1, Burial N 10-1/1. h . Lamanai, LA 3 4/7. N 10-2, Cache N 10-2/2; a lso c ontained corn and beans. i . L amanai, LA 1 27/5. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/20. j . L amanai, LA 1 23/5. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/19. k . L amanai, LA 1 76/3. N 10-2, Burial N 10-2/45. 8 5

E lizabeth G raham c ensers--cup a nd bowl s hapes with a pplied e ffigy f igures, o r s imply hollow e ffigy f igures--could date anywhere f rom t he twelfth century t o H istoric t imes. Buk phase c eramics h ave b een i dentified a t a f ew o ther s ites i n B elize. A t A ltun H a ( Pendergast 1 982a:140) and Mayflower, n ear Maintzunun i n t he S tann Creek D istrict ( Graham 1 985:222), c ensers and c halices w ere f ound f ragmented over t he c ollapse d ebris o f a bandoned C lassicp eriod c eremonial b uildings. Reconnaissance i n 1 984 and e xcavation i n 1 986 s how t hat Buk phase vessels o ccur i n q uantity a t t he s ite o f Marco Gonzalez, o n Ambergris Cay, i n b uilding c ore and midden c ontexts. T he s ubstantial amount o f c ultural material f rom t his phase s uggests that Marco Gonzalez was t he s ite o f i ntensive a ctivity i n the twelfth a nd t hirteenth c enturies. At N egroman-Tipu, on t he Macal R iver i n t he C ayo D istrict, s mall n umbers o f s herds f rom Buk phase v essels h ave b een r ecovered c onsistently i n c ore a nd midden l ots o f v arious s tructures. I n s ome c ases d eposition i s c learly nonp rimary, a s i n t he c ore l ots. I n t he c ase o f t he m iddens t here a re t oo f ew s herds t o e nable u s to a ssess s ecurely whether t he Buk phase s herds a re c ontemporaneous w ith t he e arly P ostclassic P eten a nd c entral B elize t ypes with which they occur, b ut i ndications a re that t his i s s o. Analysis o f t he T ipu c eramics i s i n p rogress ( Rice 1 985) a nd c onclusions h ave y et t o b e r eached. A t t his s tage, my overview o f t he T ipu c eramics has l ed m e t o note p arallels b etween the l ustrous o range-red s lip o f the Augustine R ed a t T ipu a nd t he o range s lip o f B uk phase c eramics. There a re c ertainly g eneral f orm p arallels i n t he presence o f c ollared j ars and b owls, a nd i n t he f orm o f g rater bowls ( see t he T ipu v essels i llustrated i n F ig. 6 a a nd b ). The vessels i llustrated i n F igure 6 a, b and c a re f rom an E arly P ostclassic m idden ( based o n t he p resence o f Augustine Red) a t T ipu which h as y ielded t hree o bsidian hydration dates f alling w ithin t he twelfth and e arly t hirteenth c enturies ( AD 1 155 + /- 3 9 years; AD 1 163 +/2 8 years; AD 1 201 + /- 5 0 years). T hese dates f all i n t he l ate p art o f t he E arly P ostclassic i n P eten and c entral B elize, b ut t hey a re n ot o ut o f l ine with i t. . The p resence i n t he T ipu m idden o f a b lack f ire-clouded v ariant o f Augustine R ed ( Fig. 6 c), a v ariant b elieved t o b e c haracteristic o f Middle P ostclassic t imes ( Rice 1 985), s uggests that deposition o f t he midden p robably t ook p lace i n t he l atter p art o f t he E arly P ostclassic c ontinuum, a ccording to P eten c hronology. Therefore, i ndications a re t hat the " Middle" P ostclassic o r B uk p hase a t L amanai ( so c alled b ecause o f t he c lear t ransition f rom T erminal C lassic t imes where E arly P ostclassic f orms a nd t ypes t ake r oot) p arallels a t l east t he l atter p art o f t he E arly P ostclassic o f P eten a nd c entral B elize. 8 6

V essel F orms f rc r n B elize

,

F ig. 6 . a ) Negroman-Tipu, T-245/1. 3 66/1. c ) Negroman-Tipu, T-245/2. 3 08/1. e ) Negroman-Tipu, MT-308/2.

8 7

b ) Negroman-Tipu, Td ) Negroman-Tipu, MT-

E lizabeth G raham C IB PHASE - THE LATE P OSTCLASSIC The ceramics of t his phase remain l ess fully documented t han t hose o f the p receding phase b ecause a g reat deal o f t he material occurs i n midden contexts, and the unslipped utilitarian ceramics f rom these c ontexts have n ot yet been analyzed. However, a r ange o f v essels f rom s tratigraphically controlled primary contexts, such a s burials and o fferings, has been s tudied and i llustrated ( see, e .g., P endergast 1 981b) a nd this has permitted at l east s ome generalization regarding changes i n c eramic t reatments from the preceding Buk phase. Continuity i s i n evidence i n t he persistence o f the emphasis on p ost-slip i ncised decoration. The s lipped f langed censer with pedestal base ( Fig. 5 a) continued to be made ( Fig. 7 a), though i t was d iminished in s ize. The penchant for hollow e ffigy f eet c ontinued, t hough the f orms o f the f langed bowls to which they were a ttached changed s ignificantly, a s d id t he angle and r esting s urface o f t he f eet, which t ended to be f lat ( Fig. 7 b, c ). I t i s at this t ime that t he characteristic " sagbottom" bowl, b est k nown f rom the s ite o f Tulum ( Sanders 1 960; F ig. 4 a) made i ts appearance at Lamanai; it i s c ertainly a marker f or this phase ( Fig. 7 b, c , i , k-o). Hollow vented f eet diminish in s ize, and a common f orm i s cylindrical with a vertical pair o f c ircular vents ( Fig. 7 h-m, o ). The P eten-central Belize " slipper" or " scroll" f oot i s not a Postclassic form at L amanai, but a v ariation makes a l ate appearance at the s ite i n the vessel i llustrated i n F igure 7 n, found in a burial a long w ith the " Tulum-like" s ag-bottom bowl with vented cylindrical feet i n F igure 7 k. The p referred s lip color phase, and t he s lip s urfaces

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a . Lamanai, LA 2 4714. N 10-4, B urial N 10-4/46; bone tube a lso f rom this burial ( Pendergast 1 981). b . L amanai, LA 6 3/1. Midden at east f ace o f N10-4. c . Lamanai, LA 2 47/15. Burial N 10-4/46. d . L amanai, LA 2 64/1. Misc. Burial N 10/10. e . Lamanai, LA 2 47/12. Burial N 10-4/46. f . L amanai, LA 2 47/22. Burial N 10-4/46. g . Lamanai, LA 1 02/8. N 10-7, Burial N 10-7/2. h . Lamanai, LA 9 1/3. Burial N 10-4/29. i . Lamanai, LA 8 9/4. Burial N 10-4/26. j . Lamanai, LA 9 0/1. Burial N 10-4/28. k . Lamanai, LA 7 73/1. Camp Midden B urial 5 . m . L amanai, LA 8 1/1. Burial N 10-4/19. n . Lamanai, LA 7 3/1. Burial N 10-4/10. 8 8

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E lizabeth G raham t hose o f the Buk phase o range. Collared j ars with horizontal s trap h andles h ave antecedents in B uk -phase f orms, b ut a re s lipped r ed r ather t han orange. U nslipped u tilitarian j ars, bowls, a nd p lates s eem to s how f ewer c hanges f rom t he Buk phase r epertoire t han do the s lipped c eramics but f urther a nalysis i s n ecessary b efore c ontinuity a nd c hange c an be charted. A s noted a bove, t he dominant l arge-sized e ffigy c enser o f this phase i s t he well known " Mayapan-style" o r C hen Mul Modeled type ( Pendergast 1 981c: F ig. 5 ; S mith 1 971: F ig . 67). S maller c ensers o ften t ake t he f orm o f cups w ith a pedestal base and e ffigy f igure applied on t he s ide ( Pendergast 1 985: F ig. 4 b); a lternatively, t he e ffigy i tself i s h ollow and was u sed to c ontain a n o ffering o f some k ind ( as i n P endergast 1 985: F ig. 5 c, though t his particular e xample i s p robably T erminal P ostclassic). C ensers and j ars with a pplied f illets a nd b osses ( Cehac-Hunacti Composite) a re a lso documented f or this p eriod, a nd c ontinued t o b e made a s l ate a s the s eventeenth c entury ( see b elow ). The s tarting d ate f or t his p hase i s, a s noted a bove, d ifficult t o p inpoint, t hough t he c eramics as d escribed were s tandardized by a bout A D 1 400. Though u nslipped c enser ( and s ome j ar) t ypes s uch a s C hen Mul Modeled and C ehac-Hunacti C omposite c ontinued t o be made with l ittle c hange t hrough t o H istoric t imes, i t i s not yet e ntirely c lear whether s ome o ther C ib p hase v essels a lso r emained i n u se at the t ime o f the Conquest. H owever the p resence o f Y glesias p hase Terminal P ostclassic pottery t ogether w ith E uropean-made c eramics and E uropean a rtifacts ( see b elow) i n s everal middens a ssociated w ith H istoric p eriod s tructures h as made i t c lear that t he Yglesias c eramic a ssemblage, a nd n ot C ib p hase pottery, dominated a t the t ime t he S panish began t heir i ncursions i nto Yucatan and B elize i n t he mid-sixteenth c entury. C ib phase c eramics do n ot o ccur i n t hese middens, e xcept a s occasional s herds, a s ituation t hat may b e paralleled at S anta Rita where T ulum-related c eramics only s how up i n the c ore o f L ate P ostclassic s tructures dated by R ita Red ceramics ( D. Chase 1 984; A . a nd D . C hase 1 985:15). C ib p hase " Tulum-related" c eramics a re r elatively w idespread i n B elize and o ccur at l east a s f ar s outh a s t he S tann C reek D istrict ( Graham 1 985:226-227). U nfortunately, however, t hey a re o ften f ound o n t he s urface, a s a t s ites n ear L amanai o r a t Colson Point ( Graham 1 985:226-227), o r i n m ixed d eposits, as a t T ipu, o r i n p ost-abandonment a ccumulation, a s a t A ltun H a ( Pendergast 1 967, 1 982a:169, 2 04, 2 20, 2 51, 2 57). A t C olha, i n northern B elize, vessels s imilar t o those o f the L amanai C ib phase h ave b een d ated to t he l ater part o f the P ostclassic s equence ( Valdez, p ersonal c ommunication 1 985), b ut a s a t L amanai, c hronological b racketing f or t his phase can o nly b e e stimated.

9 0

V essel F orms f rom B elize YGLESIAS PHASE TERMINAL POSTCLASSIC-EARLY H ISTORIC

PERIOD

The vessels i llustrated i n F igures 8 t hrough 1 0 a re f rom middens a ssociated with s tructures known to have been u sed at L amanai i n the e arly H istoric period. Europeanmade a rtifacts f rom these middens include Spanish o livej ar s herds o f the Early and Middle periods ( Goggin 1 960), majolica w are, a nd S panish i ron artifacts, a s well a s g lass trade beads. A substantial midden f rom another area o f t he s ite c ontained the s ame range o f ceramics, but no artifacts o f European manufacture; we do not know whether t he absence o f E uropean g oods implies a difference i n t ime, or i n the s tatus o f those responsible f or the accumulation o f the r efuse. The Yglesias phase i s t entatively dated t o a period f rom 1 450 - 1 700. Lamanai's Y glesias phase ceramics a re quite d istinctive and c learly s eparable f rom the C ib phase vessels that predate them. The vessels are generally thin walled and r elatively c rude i n s urface appearance compared to c eramics f rom e arlier phases, but vessel walls are n otably strong. S lips are r ed, orange-red, b uff, and b lack, but they a re opaque and l usterless, and o ften thin, and i n fact they v ery o ften h ave the appearance o f a s tain ( mineral p igment and water) r ather t han a t rue s lip. Tripod bowls with s ag-bottoms p ersist, but t he f lange d iminishes to a r idge that i s often notched or s calloped. Feet are bulbous, ovoid, tapered, cylindrical, o r f requently phalliform, and vents are u sually rather l arge, e ither ovoid o r s lit ( Figs. 8 , 1 0). S trap-handles were s till used, and h igh-necked j ars r epresent continuity f rom e arlier t imes. Bowls and some j ar f orms have a d istinctive bolstered or thickened l ip ( Fig. 9 b, c , e , n ). A common w ide-mouthed j ar f orm i s t hat of F igure 9 i, i n which the j ar n eck i s vertical with two or more grooved c ircumferential l ines around the r im exterior. S herds f rom s imilar j ars were recovered at Tipu, but do not have the g rooves. Small e ffigy c ensers are s imilar to t hose o f the p receding C ib p hase ( Chen Mul Modeled), though we are b eginning to i solate c hanges in s tyle t hat m ay b e d istinctive o f t he Terminal Postclassic-Early H istoric p eriod ( representative e ffigy censers f rom this phase are i llustrated i n P endergast 1 984: F ig. 1 , 2 ; 1 986: F ig. 5 b, c ). Only a small n umber o f f ragments o f t he l arge, Mayapan-style Chen Mul Modeled effigy censers ( as i n P endergast 1 981c: F ig. 5 ) h ave been r ecovered f rom Y glesias m iddens. Censers and j ars with applied f illets a nd bosses continued to be manufactured i nto t he s eventeenth century; one example ( Pendergast 1 985: F ig. 5 d) was f ound i ntruded i nto the chancel f loor o f Lamanai's s econd church, a p ost-AD 1 641 deposit. 9 1

E lizabeth G raham

F ig. 8 . a-d, fi, k , p -q) Lamanai, LA 9 16, r efuse p it s ealed by the west f loor o f N 11-18. e ) Lamanai, LA 8 59, midden abutting north f ace o f N 11-18. j ,m) Lamanai, LA 9 12, r efuse p it at the northeast c orner o f N 11-18. n ) Lamanai, LA 8 58, midden at the northeast c orner o f N 11-18. o ) L amanai, LA 9 09, r efuse p it at t he northeast c orner o f N 11-18.

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F ig. 1 0. a , d-f, i ) Lamanai, LA 8 34, midden at t he north f ace o f N 11-3. b , g , h ) Lamanai, LA 8 23, midden a t the north s tair s ide, east f ace of N 11-3. c ) Lamanai, LA 8 59, midden at the n orthwest f ace o f N 11-3.

9 4

V essel F orms f rom B elize Vessels t hat a re f ormally and typologically s imilar to those o f this p hase have been f ound in small n umbers at T ipu; sherds were r ecovered f rom H istoric period midden contexts ( Rice 1 985), and two cache vessels were f ound i ntruded i nto p ost-abandonment d eposits o f a L ate Postc lassic period p latform ( Fig. 6 d, e ). Rita Red vessels and some o f t he Chen Mul Modeled c enser forms f rom the s ite of S anta R ita ( D. Chase 1 984) a re s imilar i n a spects o f f orm a nd t reatment to vessels i n the Lamanai s ample. Parallels a lso e xist with Chen Mul Modeled a nd CehacHunacti Composite c enser t ypes at Mayapan and possibly with some Navula Unslipped examples ( see, e .g., Smith 1 971: Figs. 6 2, 6 3), but most o f the Lamanai r epertoire i s not comparable w ith Mayapan. The only s imilarity that may be s ignificant i s the treatment of the neck on s ome widemouthed j ars ( Smith 1 971: F igs. 6 1a5 and c 4) in which the r im rises vertically, or n early s o, f rom the s lightly r estricted neck ( Fig. 9 i-n). To date, Y glesias ceramics have been s ecurely i dentified e lsewhere only at T ipu, and there only i n small numbers. I ndications are that a t T ipu a t t he t ime of European occupation the l ocal ceramic r epertoire was dominated by P eten c eramics, s uch a s Paxcaman Red, with l ittle demonstrated influence f rom northern B elize c eramic s tyles. Though f urther intensive archaeological i nvestigation a t other s ites in B elize and Y ucatan i s warranted before any r eal a ssessment of Yglesias phase c eramics c an b e c arried out, i t would s eem that, l ike the Cib and Buk phase c eramics of e arlier t imes, Yglesias phase pottery i s a northern Belize-Yucatecan development r ather than a c entral Belize-Peten phenomenon. I t i s c lear that only very general parallels exist with the s ite o f Mayapan i tself, but once post-1450 a rchaeology i s better known i n Yucatan, i t i s not unlikely t hat Yglesias phase ceramics w ill b e found to f it i nto the overall p icture o f the m aterial culture of Yucatecan polities on the eve o f, and f ollowing, the S panish C onquest.

References C HASE, 1 985

A .F., AND D .Z. CHASE " Postclassic T emporal and Spatial Frames f or the Lowland Maya: A Background,"in The L owland Maya Postclassic, eds. A .F. Chase and P . M. Rice, pp. 9 -30 ( Austin: University o f Texas Press).

C HASE, 1 985

A .F., AND P . M. RICE ( eds.) The L owland Maya Postclassic o f Texas Press).

9 5

( Austin:

University

E lizabeth G raham CHASE, 1 984

D .Z. " The Late Corozal, Complex,"

GIFFORD, 1 976

J . Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics of Barton Ramie i n the Belize Valley, P eabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

GOGGIN, 1 960

J .

GRAHAM, 1 983

E .

1 985

Postclassic Pottery o f Santa Rita Belize: The Xabalxab C eramic Ceramica de Cultura Maya, vol. 1 3.

The Spanish O live Jar: An Introductory Study, Yale University Publications i n Anthropology, No. 7 2 ( New Haven: Yale University).

" The H ighlands of the Lowlands: Environment and Archaeology in the Stann Creek District, Belize," Ph.D. diss., Cambridge University. " Facets of Terminal to Post-Classic Activity in the Stann Creek District, Belize," i n The Lowland Maya Postclassic, eds. A .F. Chase and P . M. Rice, pp. 2 15-229 ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

GRAHAM, 1 980

E ., L . McNATT, AND M . GUTCHEN " Excavations in Footprint C ave, Caves B ranch, Belize," Journal of Field Archaeology 7 (2): 1 531 72.

GRAHAM, 1 985

E ., G .D. JONES, AND R . KAUTZ " Archaeology and Ethnohistory on a S panish Colonial Frontier: The Macal-Tipu Project in Western Belize," in The Lowland Maya Postclassic, eds. A . F. Chase and P . M. Rice, pp. 2 06-214 ( Austin: University o f Texas Press).

LOTEN, 1 985

H .S. " Lamanai Postclassic," i n The Postclassic, eds. A .F. Chase and 8 5-90 ( Austin: University o f Texas

Lowland Maya P . M. Rice, pp. Press).

PENDERGAST, D . M. 1 967 " Ocupacion post-clasica e n Altun Ha, Britanica," Revista Mexicana de Antropologicos 2 1:213-24. 1 969

Honduras E studios

The Prehistory of Actun Balam, British Honduras, Royal Ontario Museum, Art and Archaeology, Occasional Paper 1 6 ( Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum).

9 6

V essel F orms f rom B elize 1 974

Excavations at Actun Polbilche, Ontario Museum, Archaeology ( Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum).

1 979

Excavations 1 ( Toronto:

1 981a

" Lamanai 1 980: Summary 1 974-1980," Journal o f 2 9-53.

1 981b

" An Ancient Maya D ignitary: t he ROM's Excavations at Rotunda 1 3(4): 5 -11.

A Work o f L amanai,

Art from Belize,"

1 981c

" The 1 980 Mexicon 2 (6):

Lamanai,

Belize,"

1 982a

Excavations 2 ( Toronto:

1 982b

" Lamanai, Belice, durante e l Post-Clasico," E studios de Cultura Maya 1 4: 1 9-58.

1 984

" Excavations 6 (1): 5 -10.

1 985

" Lamanai, Belize: An Updated View," i n The L owland Maya Postclassic, eds. A .F. Chase and P . M. R ice, pp. 9 1-103 ( Austin: University of Texas P ress).

RICE, 1 985

Belize, Royal Monograph 1

at Altun Ha, Belize, 1 964-1970, Royal Ontario Museum).

Excavations 9 6-99.

of Excavation Results, F ield Archaeology 8 (1):

at

at Altun Ha, Belize, 1 964-1970, Royal Ontario Museum).

at

Lamanai,

vol.

Belize,

1 983,"

vol.

Mexicon

P . M. " Postclassic and H istoric-Period Pottery f rom N egroman-Tipu, Belize," P aper presented at the F iftieth Annual Meeting o f t he Society f or American Archaeology, Denver.

SABLOFF, 1 975

J . A. Excavations at P eabody Museum vol. 1 3(2) University).

SABLOFF, 1 985

J .A., AND E . W . ANDREWS V . " Introduction," i n Late Lowland Maya C ivili zation, eds. J . A. Sabloff and E . W. Andrews V ., pp. 3 -13 ( Albuuerque: University o f New Mexico P ress).

SANDERS, 1 960

W .T. Prehistoric Ceramics and Settlement Patterns in Quintana Roo, Mexico, Contributions to American Anthropology and H istory, vol. 1 2, no. 6 0,

Seibal: Ceramics, Memoirs of the o f Archaeology a nd Ethnology, ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard

9 7

E lizabeth G raham Carnegie I nstitution o f 6 06 ( Washington, D .C.). SMITH, 1 971

Washington Publication

R .E. The Pottery o f Mayapan, I ncluding Studies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichen I tza, Papers of the P eabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 6 6 Cambridge, Mass.; Harvard University).

THOMPSON, 1 939

J . E.S. Excavation at San Jose, British H onduras, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication no. 5 06 ( Washington, D .C.).

9 8

6 L a S ecuenc ia Ceräm ica P re l im inar d e I s la Cerr i tos , Cos ta C en tro -Nor te d e Yuca tän F ernando R obles C astellanos

I sla Cerritos e s una i nsula p equeWa de aproximadamente 2 00 m de diämetro l ocalizada a 5 00 m f uera de l a costa c entro-norte de l a p en nsula de Y ucat5n, y a 5 km a l o este d el a ctual poblado de S an Felipe ( Fig. 1 ). La i sla parece h aber f uncionado c omo u no de l os p rincipales puertos m ar5timos d e i ntercambio de Chichgn I tzä, a lrededor d el a r io mil DC ( Andrews 1 978). Durante l os v eranos d e 1 984 y 1 985 e l s itio fue objeto d e e studios arqueolögicos p reliminares ( mapeo, r ecolecciön en s uperficie, y p ozos e stratigrgficos) por parte de l os i ntegrantes del P royecto I sla Cerritos, Yucatän, p atrocinado por l a National Geographic Society y e l I NAH, Mexico [ 1]. Uno de l os p rincipales objetivos de l a t emporada 1 985 f ue e stablecer u n marco c ronolögicocultural de r eferend a para a uxiliar en e l e studio y ubicaciön temporal d e l as d iversas c lases de artefactos r escatados durante ambas temporadas de campo. Para t al f inalidad f ueron practicados un total d e 1 7 p ozos e stratigräficos en varias d e l as e structuras a rqueolögicas d el s itio. Todos l os pozos f ueron de 2 x 2 m p or l ado, y e l material f ue r egistrado de a cuerdo a l p iso y r elleno c onstructivo en que s e encontrö, s alvo en l os casos en donde l a s edimentaciön p ermitiö un control e stratigrgfico p or e xistir capas perfectamente definidas. Excepciön a l a r egla f ueron l os pozos 3 y 1 1, en donde t anto l a f alta d e c laridad e n l a d emarcaciön de l os e stratos como l a ausencia de n iveles c onstructivos, nos obligaron a l levar u n t ipo d e c ontrol mgtrico e n l a excavaciön ( unidades de 2 0 cm de g rosor). Aproximadamente 1 6,000 t iestos ( y v arias v asijas enteras) f ueron r escatados en c ontexto e stratigrgfico. La mayor parte d el material f ue analizado en e l l aboratorio de c ampo a n ivel de grupo c ergmico [ 2] acorde a l s istema 9 9

u bicacion

F ernando R obles C astellanos

r4

4 4 4 a

J

( c )

4

0 •

1 00

L a S ecuencia C erg r rica P reliminar d e I sla C erritos t ipo-variedad ( Gifford 1 960; 1 960; Smith y G ifford 1 965).

Smith,

Willey,

y

G ifford

Del material excavado e n l a t emporada 1 985, c inco c omplejos cergmicos han s ido establecidos. En nuestro e studio c ergmico entendemos l a nociön de complejo cergmico como una abstracciön conveniente para definir periodos. En c ada uno de e llos l as relaciones porcentuales entre l os grupos c ergmicos que f orman un complejo son l o bastante marcadas para d iferenciarlo de otros c omplejos, y sus l imites temporales dependerän del comportamiento variable de c ada uno de l os grupos cergmicos. Por l o tanto, l os complejos cergmicos no son unidades absolutas y mientras a lgunos grupos p ueden s er ubicados en un solo complejo, otros podrän s er c omponentes de uno o m s complejos. Los nombres d e l os complejos c ergmicos de I sla Cerritos, desde e l m s antiguo hasta e l r ags reciente, s on: Xauminto Chicanel ( +/1 00 AC a l 4 00 DC); Trompillo Cochuah ( 300 a l 7 50 DC); Chacpel Cehpech ( 700 a l 9 00 DC); Jotuto Sotuta ( 850 a l 1 150/1200 DC); y Tomburro Tases ( en a lgun lapso entre l os s iglos X III a l XVI DC, inclusive).

LA SECUENCIA CERAMICA Complejo

Xaumito Chicanel

( ca.

1 00

AC

a l

4 00

DC)

Las evidencias m s tempranas de un asentamiento humano en I sla C erritos ( y posiblemente t ambign en l a regiön a leda5a) s e encuentran representadas por e l complejo Xaumito. En t erminos g enerales, este primer complejo cergmico se c aracteriza por e l predominio de l os grupos cergmicos S ierra, Xanabg, y , p rincipalmente, Chancenote. Asi como por l a r educida presencia ( pero s ignificativa en e l aspecto cronolögico) de t iestos de los grupos Unto, Uct l, y Polvero, mejor r epresentados en otros s itios del grea maya f echados para e l P reclgsico Tardio y/u horizonte Chicanel. Los materiales Xaumito muestran estrechos vinculos tipol6gicos tanto con l a c ergmica cotänea de l os s itios del o riente como del occidente del s eptentriön peninsular, no o bstante que l a abundante p resencia de materiales Chicanel en nuestras c olecciones nos i ndica tambign un estrecho contacto entre l os habitantes de I sla Cerritos con l as comunidades d el grea m aya c entral. P or s er l a c ergmica m s temprana hasta ahora hallada tanto en I sla Cerritos como en l a regiön costera vecina, los materiales Xaumito son de e special intergs, ya que e llos nos pueden i ndicar e l o rigen d e l os primeros habitantes que l legaron a l a r egiön. E stos pobladores, s i 1 01

F ernando R obles C astellanos en verdad f ueron l os primeros e n arribar, l legaron t ardiamente ( segunda mitad del horizonte Chicanel) y , como hemos i ndicado, con una t radicrön c erämica desarrollada. En e fecto, a demäs d e poder ubicarse t ipolögicamente l os materiales Xaumito dentro del horizonte C hicanel t ardio, una muestra d e c arbön a sociada a e ste complejo, o btenida en e l e strato m s prof undo del pozo 1 2, d iö l a f echa C -14 calibrada de 8 5 AC [ 3] ( Tabla # 1).

Tabla # 1. F echas C-14 obtenidas en l a temporada d e campo 1 985 del P royecto Arqueolögico I sla C erritos, Yucatan.

# LAB

MATERIAL

ANOS C -14 AP ( no c orregida)

FECHA C -14 ( no correg ida)

8 5 AC

COMPLEJO C ERAMICO

1 4084 ( 2)

c arbon

2 040+/-80

AP

1 4081 ( 2)

c arbon

1 290+/-70

AP

6 60

DC

7 40

DC

C hacpel

1 4082 ( 2)

c arbon

9 70+/-60

AP

9 80

DC

1 060

DC

J otuto

1 4083 ( 2)

c arbon

9 40+/-60

AP

1 010

DC

1 075

DC

J otuto

1 4085 ( 2)

Mangle

8 50+/-60

AP

1 100

DC

1 152

DC

J otuto

8 50 DC

9 03

DC

J otuto

1 -14244 Mangle 1 100+/-80 AP ( 3) ( madera)

9 0 AC

FECHA C -14 ( calibrada) ( 1)

X aumito

( 1) Las f echas c alibradas son e l punto medio dentro de l os rangos t emporales en l as tablas de c alibraciön en K lein e t a l . ( 1982). ( 2)

B eta Analytic,

( 3)

Teledyne

I nc.,

I sotopes,

Coral

Gables,

Westwood,

No existiendo hasta a sentamiento anterior a l proviniendo l a f echa 8 5 o cupaciön ms t empranos

F lorida.

N ew J ersey.

e l momento evidencias de u n d e l os materiales X aumito, y DC de uno d e l os n iveles d e en l a i sla, consideramos que l os

1 02

L a S ecuencia C ergmica P reliminar d e I sla C erritos p rimeros o cupantes d e I sla C erritos debieron haber l legado a lrededor del a r io 1 00 AC. E l anglisis f inal d e nuestro material y f uturas e xcavaciones t anto en l a i sla como en l os s itios de l a r egiön p odrän c orroborar o d esechar n uestras observaciones t entativas. C omplejo T rompillo Cochuah

( 300

a l

7 50

DC)

Este s egundo c omplejo t iene entre otras p eculiaridades l a apariciön de t iestos con p olicromia T zakol negro-y-rojo-sobre-naranja ( grupo D os A rroyos), marcador d el h orizonte T zakol e n l a s ub-ärea maya c entral. S in e mbargo, s u r educido n ümero e n n uestras c olecciones nos i ndica q ue e sta c lase de a lfarerfa p olicroma d ebiö s er i mportada de l as comunidades del s ur. A simismo, e s d urante e ste c omplejo que l a d ecoraciön b icromo-incisa ( grupos C arolina, D zilam, y H uachinango), que comienza a m anifestarse en l a c ergmica d el c omplejo X aumito, l lega a c aracterizar a l a c ergmica p roducida d urante e l C lgsico T emprano no s olo en n uestro s itio de e studio s ino en t odo e l n oreste de l a peninsula d e Yucatgn ( Robles 1 980). L a a lfarerfa c ulinaria con d ecoraciön e scobetiIlada ( grupo Chancenote) continuö s iendo l a c erämica p redominante t ambign durante e ste c omplejo, a unque p ara e ntonces a parecen e n n umero r educido l os t ecomates l isos S aban Burdo: variedad B ecoob que t ipifican l a c erämica c ulinaria de l os s itios de l a e sfera C ochuah Oriental e n e l n orte d e Quintana Roo ( ibid.). Acorde a n uestra e videncia e stratigräfica, existe u na t ransiciön d irecta d el f inal d e e ste c omplejo a l os materiales d el s iguiente c omplejo C hacpel C ehpech. U na f echa C-14 c alibrada d e 7 40 DC o btenida d entro d e u no d e l os e stratos t ransicionales e ntre l os c omplejos T rompillo y C hacpel, n os s ugiere a mgs t ardar e l a-r l o 8 00 D C c omo f echa tope d el c omplejo T rompillo C ochuah. Viene a r eafirmar e sta f echa d ivisoria e l consenso g eneral entre l os c eramistas d el n orte de Yucatgn de f echar e l i nicio de l a c erämica P izarra P uuc ( grupo Muna) p osterior a l ar ia 7 00 DC; y l a c ergmica P izarra P uuc, c omo s e verä Mäs adelante, e s u na de l as c erämicas d iagnösticas d el c omplejo C hacpel C ehpech de I sla C erritos. C omplejo Chacpel

C ehpech

( 700

a l

9 00

DC)

Caracteriza a e ste complejo e l predominio d e l os m ateriales C ehpech ( Smith 1 971). Empero, d e manera muy d istinta a l o e sperado, l as c ergmicas C ehpech d e I sla C erritos g uardan e strechos v inculos t ipolögicos c on l a a lfarer5a c otänea d e l os " lejanos" s itios de l a r egiön del P uuc. Las r elaciones c on l os s itios " Cehpech O riental" del noreste p eninsular ( Robles 1 980), mucho m s c ercanos a l a i sla, e stgn l imitadas a l efpleo de t ecomates y o llas V ista Alegre E striado; a unque h ay q ue h acer notar q ue e ste g rupo ( Vista A legre) e s u no d e l os ms n umerosos y 1 03

F ernando R obles C astellanos d iagnösticos

d el

complejo Chacpel.

E n t erminos generales l a a lfarerfa C ehpech d el c omplejo Chacpel e stä c ompuesta p ar l os g rupos M una ( Pizarra P uuc), T eabo ( Pizarra R ojo), T icul ( Pizarra D elgado), C hum ( Puuc Burda) y , e n m enor nümero, par l os g rupos a l6ctonos Chablekal ( Gris F ino), B alandän ( Naranja F ino Z ) y S axchg-Palmar ( policromia Tepeu 1 -2). Uno d e l os h allazgos m s importantes d e l a temporada d e c ampo 1 985 en I sla C erritos p ara e l e ntendimiento de l a h istoria cultural d el n orte d e Y ucatän, fue h aber e ncontrado c onstantemente una numerosa c antidad de t iestos d e l os g rupos D zitäs ( Pizarra C hichen), S isal ( Chichgn B urda) y S ilhö ( Naranja F ino X ), c omponentes d el complejo S otuta S otuta d e C hichen I tzä d el P ostcläsico Temprano ( Smith 1 971), en a sociaciön e stratigräfica con l os materiales C ehpech del C lasico T erminal. De hecho no p odimos o bservar n ingün e strato C hacpel C ehpech e n n uestras e xcavaciones c arente d e materiales S otuta. S in embargo, l os t iestos d e l os g rupos c erämicos D zitäs, S isal y S ilhö c ontinuaron s iendo numerosos d urante e l siguiente c omplejo- J otuto S otuta, c uando l as c erämicas i dentificadas c oma C ehpech ( Puuc) e n I sla C erritos c äen en desuso o dejan d e s er importadas y /o p roducidas en n ümero s ignificativo. E sta evidencia e stratigräfica n os e stä i ndicando que s eguramente v arios de l os g rupos c erämicos q ue constituyen a l os " complejos-esfera" C ehpech ( del P uuc) y Sotuta ( de Chichgn I tzä) s on en g ran p arte c ontemporäneos. T ambign i ndica q ue l a p resencia y/o a usencia d e c ualquiera de e llos, o l a r elativa ( parcial) e xistencia de a lguno o v arios d e e llos e n l os c omplejos c erämicos d e l os s itios del n orte de Y ucatän s e d eba t ambign a variables s incrönicas ( i.e., d istintos s istemas de d istribuciön de l a p roducciön c erämica, d iferentes ä reas d e interacciön c omercial, s istemas p oliticos e n c ompetencias preferencia par c ierta c lase d e a lfareria, e tc.), y no n ecesariamente a l f actor t iempo ( i.e., c ambios h istörico-culturales). E n n uestra o piniön, ü rge u na r evisiön a l os l imites t emporales y d istribuciön g eogräfica d e c ada uno d e l os g rupos c erämicos que f orman a l os c omplejos ( en l a p räctica e mpleados c oma e sferas c erämicas) Cehpech y/o S otuta d el n orte d e Y ucatan, a ntes d e p oder l legar a una c onclusiön v älida s abre s u parcial o t otal c o-existencia o t raslape. Na p odemos s eguir empleando m etodolögicamente ambos c onceptos, C ehpech y S otuta, c oma u nidades e spaciot emporales absolutas p ara d eterminar e n b loque l as r elaciones c erämicas y l imites t emporales d e l os d iversos g rupos c erämicos que l os i ntegran, i gnorando que e n l a r ealidad c ada uno d e l os g rupos c erämicos t iene una 1 04

L a S ecuencia C erämica P reliminar d e I sla C erritos t emporalidad y d istribuciön g eogräfica variable i ndependiente. E l c ambio en l a c erämica no es un proceso u niforme e n e l c ual todos l os grupos c erämicos de un c omplejo s on s ustituidos p ar otros d istintos en un momenta d eterminado. Aunque, a l p arecer, e sta es l a tönica que h emos s eguido muchos de l os c eramistas mayas, i mplicita o e xplictamente, c uando e stablecemos l as s ecuencias c erämicas. La numerosa p resencia de t iestos d e l os grupos D zitas, S isal, y S ilhö dentro del complejo Chacpel C ehpech e n I sla C erritos nos e stg i ndicando, entonces, que varios de l os grupos q ue t radicionalmente hemos asignado a l c omplejo S otuta S otuta d e Chichen I tzä del Postclgsico T emprano ( Smith 1 971), debieron haber comenzado a p roducirse e n u n p erfodo anterior a l que p reviamente h abiamos p ensado. C omplejo E l apoggo t ambign i sla.

J otuto S otuta

( 850

a l

1 150/1200

DC)

c omplejo Jotuto r epresenta s in duda a lguna e l cultural d e n uestro s itio de e studio y posiblemente el ü ltimo p eriod° d e ocupaciön permanente en l a

En e l a specto cerämico dos a contecimientos marcan e l i nicio de e ste c omplejo: 1 ) l a v irtual desapariciön de l a a lfareria relacionada c an l a e sfera Cehpech del Puuc y 2 ) l a apariciön y numerosa ocurrencia d e t iestos del Xcanchacän N egro-sobre-crema, t ipo mayoriatario del grupo Kuklä ( Peto C rema). Cuando a conteciö e ste c ambia en l a c erämica d e I sla Cerritos? E s t odavfa una p regunta dificil de r esponder con p recisiön. S in embargo, parece s er que e l complejo Jotuto debit empezar a f ormarse durante l a s egunda mitad del s iglo n ovena D C. Varias son l as evidencias que nos s ugieren l o anterior. Una muestra d e madera de mangle, proveniente de uno de l os depositos r ags tempranos can materiales Jotuto, produjo l a f echa c alibrada d e 9 03 DC [ 4]. Otros dos f ragmentos de c arbön, t ambien a sociados a materiales Jotuto cuando a l p arecer I sla c erritos s e encontraba en s u apoggo cultural, d ieron l as f echas calibradas de 1 060 y 1 075 DC. Otro p unto i mportante es e l f echamiento del Xcanchacän Negro-sabre-crema e n e l norte de Yucatän. Todas l as evidencias e stratigräficas h asta ahora conocidas i ndican que l a apariciön del X canchacän d ebit occurir poco antes o poco despues del a-r i o 9 00 DC. Las 5 nicas fechas C1 4 a sociadas a l X canchacän Negro-sabre-crema, f uera de I sla Cerritos, provienen de l a cueva de Balancanchg, c erca de C hichen I tzä. C uatro muestras de c arbön p rodujeron una 1 05

F ernando R obles C astellanos s erie de f echas no calibradas que.fluctuan entre l os gnos 8 60 y 9 22 DC, y q ue a l c alibrarse c äen e ntre l os är ios 9 27 y 1 020 DC ( Andrews V 1 978; Andrews I V and Andrews V 1 980; Robles 1 981). En tgrminos g lobales, e l c omplejo Jotuto e stg definido por l a continuidad de l os materiales S otuta ( grupos D zitäs, S isal, y S ilhö) d el c omplejo anterior Chacpel Cehpech, por l a r educida p resencia de t iestos y vasijas Tohil P lomizo, a si c omo p or l a y a mencionada abundancia d el t ipo Xcanchacän Negro-sobre-crema. E s importante h acer notar que e l t ipo Xcanchacgn Negro-sobre-crema n o e s s olamente un marcador d e gran utilidad p ara d atar e l f inal d el period s° C lgsico en e l norte de Yucatgn, s ino t ambien e s e l 6nico t ipo c erämico manufacturado e n Yucatan c on caräcter pan-norter io, y que s e encuentra d istribuido en c antidades c onsiderables en l a mayorfa de l os s itios d el s eptentriön p eninsular. En nuestra opiniön, l a presencia del t ipo X canchacän bien puede i ndicar l a expansiön comercial y/o i nfluencia militar de Chichen I tzä en e l n orte de Yucatän a caecida poco antbs del ocaso del p eriodo C läsico. Hemos datado e l f inal d el c omplejo Jotuto S otuta a lrededor del ar ia 1 200 DC, f echa t radicional de l a cafda de Chichgn I tzg y , a j usgar por l a evidencia e stratigräfica, e ste momento marca t ambien e l termino de l a ocupaciön permanente en I sla C erritos. Complejo T omburro T ases ( en a lgun duodecimo y decimosexto DC)

l apso

entre

l os

s iglos

Las evidencias ms t ardias de una o cupaciön p rehispänica en I sla C erritos e stän representadas por e l c omplejo T omburro T ases. L os materiales de este c omplejo f ueron hallados en l a s uperficie y s in n ingün c ontexto e stratigräfico. S u d efiniciön como i ntegrantes d el c omplejo Tomburro e stä f undamentada en a rgumentos t ipolögicos. Compönen a e ste complejo un e scaso nümero de t iestos p ertenecientes l os g rupos Navulä ( Mayapän Burdo), Mama ( Mayapän Rojo) y P ayil ( Tulum Rojo) d el horizonte c erämico T ases del Postclgsico e n e l norte d e Yucatän ( Smith 1 971). L a mayor p arte de e stos materiales, s in embargo, s on fragmentos d e i ncensarios C hen Mul Modelado ( tipo c erämico d el grupo Navulä), de c lara f unciön ceremonial. La e scasa muestra c erämica d el complejo Tomburro nos e stä s ugiriendo que p ara entonces debiö h aber e xistido u n n umero b astante r educido d e h abitarf tes en la i sla, qiz5 una f amilia o dos c on u na e conomfa marina o , t ambign, l a posibilidad de un campamento temporal d e pescadores.

1 06

L a S ecuencia C erändca P reliminar d e I sla C erritos El h echo d e que l os t iestos de e ste complejo f ueron r ecolectados s abre o dentro del e scombro que cubre a l os edificios y , e n u n caso s ignificativo, arriba de l os r estos d e u n t echo desplomado, n os s ugiere que e sta ocupaciön debiö o currir cuando l a i sla e staba ya abandonada y l as e structuras en ruinas. Cuando y q ue duraciön t uvo l a ü ltima ocupaciön prehispänica e n I sla Cerritos? E s y s erä s in duda a lguna una pregunta d ificil de p recisar. Lo ünico que podemos decir par e l m omenta e s que l as ü ltimas a ctividades p rehispänicas e n l a i sla debieron haber s ucedido en a lgün momenta entre l a c arda d e Chichen I tzä y e l s iglo dgcimosexto DC.

Agradecimientos Agradezco brindando e l Mexico durante

e l apoyo e conömico q ue me h a v enido Consejo Nacional de C iencia y Tecnologfa de l a s egunda f ase de l a investigacign.

Notas

[ 1] Los i ntegrantes d el P royecto Arqueolögico I sla Cerritos, Yucatän s on: Dr. Anthony P . Andrews ( New College de l a U niversity of S outh F lorida), Arqlgo. Tomas Gallareta Negron ( INAH, Yucatän), Arqlgo. Rafael Cobos P alma ( ECAUADY, Y ucatän), P asante d e Arqueologfa de l a ECAUADY, P ura C ervera R ivera, a sf coma e l a utor de e ste artfculo. [ 2] La c ategorfa de g rupo c erämico e s u na unidad analftica n o muy amplia que r eune varias unidades menores ( i.e., tipo-variedades) que s e h allan e strechamente r elacionadas, permitiendo operar de u na manera f luida en e l c omputo de m iles d e t iestos. Los grupos c erämicos i dentificados en I sla Cerritos han s ido d escritos en varios reportes. Para mayor i nformaciön s abre e llos consultar Smith ( 1971), Ball ( 1978), y Robles ( 1980). [ 3] Todas l as f echas c alibradas que s e dan e n e ste articulo s on e l punto media dentro de l os rangos t emporales e n l as t ablas de calibraciön en K lein et a l. ( 1982). [ 4] Otro f ragmento de madera d e mangle, hallado en e l mismo estrato, p rodujo l ä f echa C -14 calibrada de 1 152 DC. S in embargo d ebido a s u posible contaminaciön y a l a profundidad del e strato en que s e encontrö, consideramos que e sta f echa e s muy t ardfa. La f echa 9 03 DC e s ms razonable en todo r especto 1 07

F ernando R obles C astellanos

Referencias ANDREWS, 1 978

ANDREWS 1 980

A .P. " Puertos costeros del norte de Yucatän," X I : 75-93.

Postcläsico Temprano en e l E studios de Cultura Maya

IV, E . W., AND E . W. ANDREWS V Excavations at D zibilchaltun, Yucatan, Mexico, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 4 8 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

ANDREWS V , E . W. 1 978 " The Northern Maya Lowlands Sequence," endnote to " Eastern Mesoamerica" ( G. W. Lowe), in Chronologies in New World Archaeology, eds. R .E. Taylor and C . W. Meighan, pp. 3 77-81 ( New York: Academic Press). BALL, 1 978

J . W. " Archaeological Pottery of the Yucatan-Campeche Coast," in Studies in the Archaeology o f Coastal Yucatan and Campeche, Middle American Research Institute Publication 4 6: 6 9-146 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

G IFFORD, 1 960

KLEIN, 1 982

J .C. " The Type-Variety Method o f Ceramic t ion as an I ndicator of Cultural American Antiquity 25(3):341-47.

J .,

C lassificaPhenomena,"

J .C. LERMAN, P .E. DAMON, AND E .K. RALPH " Calibration of Radiocarbon Dates: Tables on the Consensus Data of the Workship on Calibrating the Carbon Time S cale," Radiocarbon 2 4( 2):103-150.

ROBLES CASTELLANOS, F . 1 980 " La Secuencia Cergmica de l a Regiön de Coba, Quintana Roo," M . A. thesis, Escuela Nacional de Antropologia e Historia and Instituto Nacional de Antropologfa e Historia, M exico, D .F. 1 981

SMITH, 1 971

" La secuencia cerämica preliminar de E l Meco, Quintana Roo," in Memoria del Congreso Interno 1 979, pp. 1 53-78, Centro Regional del Sureste ( Mexico, D .F.: Secretaria de Educaciön Publica). R .E. The Pottery of Mayapan, Including S tudies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichen I tza, Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 6 6 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

1 08

L a S ecuencia C ergmica P reliminar d e I sla C erritos SMITH, 1 965

R .E., AND J .C. GIFFORD " Pottery of the Maya Lowlands," in Handbook of Middle American Indians, vol. 2 , eds. R . Wauchope and G .R. Willey, pp. 4 98-534 ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

SMITH, 1 960

R .E., G .R. WILLEY, AND J .C. GIFFORD " The Type-Variety Concept as a Basis Analysis of Maya Pottery," American 2 5(3):330-40.

1 09

f or the Antiquity

7

T he C eram ic S equence o f S ou th -Cen tra l Qu in tana R oo , Mex ico

R obert E .

F ry

The U aymil S urvey P roject l ocated, mapped, and t ested s ites in an a rea o f approximately 7 ,500 s q. km i n s outhc entral Quintana R oo. The modern boundaries f or this z one a re the E scarcega h ighway and the Chetumal-Carillo P uerto h ighway t o the s outh and east. The goals o f the p roject were the delineation o f patterns o f major s ite l ocation, t he a ssessment o f r elationships with s urrounding r egions in architecture and c eramics, and t he chronological p atterns o f major s ites ( Harrison 1 973, 1 981; F ry 1 973, 1 974). A lthough s cores o f s ites were n oted, only the major s ites a nd a f ew s elected smaller s ites were i ntensively mapped and s ampled. S urface c ollections were made wherever f easible, but except f or c ensers, s urface materials were s canty a t s ite c enters. The excavation program c oncentrated o n g etting the l ongest possible s equence f rom p ublic architecture without major s ubstructure excavation. At most o f the l arger s ites, the posthole s ampling a pproach ( Fry 1 972) w as u sed to l ocate s urface m iddens a ssociated with l arger r esidential complexes c lose t o major public a rchitecture. I t was predicted t hat archaeological c ollections f rom the r egion s ampled would b e heterogeneous. The r egion i tself i s e nvironmentally complex a nd t ransitional f rom the s outh-central l owlands to t he northern Yucatecan p lains. I n t he s outhernmost part o f t he z one t he undulating r idge a nd bajo t errain i s a ssociated w ith the c entral and s outhern l owlands. To t he east i s L ake Bacalar and t he c onfluence o f major r ivers i n a nd n ear the Bay o f Chetumal. North o f L ake Bacalar are a reas o f i nternal drainage m arked by numerous small l akes and l arge grassy s avannas. To the northwest and f ar north t here i s f latter but undulating l imestone b edrock, r ising to the eastern wing o f t he P uuc h ills near the s ite o f Uomuul. These geographical z ones a re a lso marked by d ifferent 1 11

R obert E . F ry s uites o f v egetational

s oil types patterns.

and

s ignificantly

d ifferent

F rom t he e thnohistoric r ecords we l earn t hat the r egion was d istinctive, comprising p art o f the c ontact p eriod c acicazgo o f Chetumal a s well a s the more s hadowy a nd poorly known p olity o f Uaymil. I n l ate prehistoric t imes, the a rea s eems to have b een one o f the g ateways u sed b y the northern Yucatecan Maya p olities f or a ccess to the B ay o f Honduras and a lso P eten v ia the New a nd Hondo r iver s ystems. F ifteen s ites s cattered t hroughout t he survey z one ( Fig. 1 ) were more i ntensively sampled. C ollections o f o ver 9 0 r im s herds were r ecovered f rom twelve o f the s ites, with t otal r im s herd c ollections r anging f rom 9 0 a t t he smaller s ite o f Lunaticos t o 7 55 f rom the s ite o f L as P anteras ( excluding c enser s herds). B ecause o f size, l ack o f d iagnostic a ttributes, or p reservation, only about 1 ,500 o f t he approximately 4 ,200 r im sherds were c lassifiable u sing t he type-variety s ystem, though a ll had i mportant a ttributes c oded u sing a s pecially c reated c eramic codebook.

CHuNHUHU8

UOMUUL a

•L UNAT ICOS

GL IFOS

V ALLEHERMO • MARGAR ITA MAZA DE J UAREZ C HACCHOBEN of

E L TZ IBANCHE

S USP IRO

MAR IO

ANCONA

0 5 1 0 1 5 KM

F ig. 1 . Map o f s outhern Quintana t he l argest c eramic collections.

1 12

Roo

s howing

s ites

with

C eramic S equence o f Q uintana R oo Because o f t he s ampling procedures necessitated by t ime l imitations, there are undoubtedly b iases and s ystematic gaps i n the total ceramic sequence. However, by following a s tandardized s et of principles for excavation s omewhat c omparable data are available from each s ite. I n p resenting the ceramic sequences f rom the z one a number o f problems present themselves. F irst, the region s ampled i s quite l arge and the samples are r elatively small. Thus f or s ome periods examples exist f rom only two o r three o f the s ites, necessitating the c reation o f a c omposite s equence. I t i s a lso c lear that there were s trong differences in regional traditions, e specially in the L ate and Terminal C lassic periods. Rather than create named c eramic complexes which are region-wide I i nstead discuss the ceramics from l arger, well-recognized t ime b locks. Eventually it s hould prove possible t o c reate s ome complexes for the most heavily s ampled s ites and combine them into a t rue r egional s equence.

THE Middle

CERAMIC

SEQUENCE

FROM SOUTH-CENTRAL

QUINTANA ROO

Preclassic

G iven t he s ampling procedures o f the Project i t i s not unexpected that evidence for Middle Preclassic occupation i s quite s canty, c onsisting o f a handful of earlier t ypes mixed i n with Late Preclassic types. Examples c ome f rom o nly two s ites, both i n the area northwest o f Lake Bacalar, Margarita Maza de Juarez and Uomuul. Types r epresented i nclude Joventud Red, Chunhinta B lack, and Muxanal Red-on-cream. A lso present are unslipped(?) incised neck tecomates. Late

P reclassic

L ate P reclassic material i s much more abundant, being found at e leven o f the f ifteen s ites tested. L ate Preclassic ceramics are a ssociated primarily with construction f ills under major p laza f loors, indicating s ubstantial construction at public a rchitectural l oci during this t ime s pän. Types within Paso Caballo Waxy ware a re predominant, including the ubiquitous S ierra Red, as w ell as Polvero B lack and s canty quantities of F lor Cream . Both the p lain Sapote and striated neck Rastro variety of S apote S triated are a lso represented throughout the r egion, s howing the same uniformity o f type complexes typical o f this t ime span. The r egional collections belong s olidly within the Chicanel s phere. There are regional differences in varieties with t he more northerly s ite h aving t he Maza variety o f S ierra Red, which i s more orange in color, w ith a l ess waxy, more opaque s lip. There i s a lso a marked tendency f or whitish reduced f ire-

1 13

R obert E . F ry c louded v essels.

a reas

on

the

exterior

a nd

i nterior

b ases

o f

The s ites t hat were t he l argest i n the C lassic p eriod have t he l argest L ate P reclassic c ollections, but t his may b e d ue e ntirely t o s ampling f actors, b ecause these s ites h ave the l argest p laza a reas where d eeper s ampling c ould b e d one r eadily. The l argest Late P reclassic collections d erive f rom the s ites o f T zibanche a nd L as P anteras, w ith medium s ized c ollections f rom Chacchoben, Margarita Maza d e J uarez, and Uomuul. At t he s outhern p art o f t he s urvey z one, evidence o f t ies with adjacent r egions i n n orthern B elize i s documented w ith the d iscovery o f l arge q uantities o f s herds o f L aguna Milagros Red a t the s ite o f L aguna M ilagros. This d istinctive thin walled t ype with i ts f ugitive r edware s lip may h ave been a specialized c ache vessel ( Fry 1 983: F ig. 1 1-2). T he type h as been f ound a s f ar s outh a s the Pulltrouser Swamp s ettlement o f Kokeal i n northern B elize. P rotoclassic L ittle material was encountered in p roject c ollections which would c orrelate w ith a Protoclassic o ccupation. A ll o f t he material c omes f rom t he s ite o f T zibanche a nd i ncludes one p iece o f imitation U sulutan and s everal possible mammiform f ooted v essel f ragments, a s well a s a f ew s herds t hat a ppear to be A guacate O range: F elipe v ariety. This t ype i s q uite common i n n orthern B elize ( Pring 1 977) a nd f urther t ies t he s outheasternmost p art o f the z one to the Chetumal B ay i nteraction s phere. E arly C lassic E arly C lassic material i s f airly a bundant i n t he s urvey z one with c lear evidence o f major c onstruction a t m any o f t he s ites, e specially i n t he s outhern p art o f t he z one. The r egion c learly p articipates i n t he T zakol s phere, with D os A rroyos P olychrome b asal f lange bowls, S an B las Red-on-orange, Gavilan B lack-on-orange, a nd T igrillo B rown-on-orange d ishes a nd b asal f lange bowls. B alanza B lack and L ucha I ncised a re a lso r epresented, p redominantly i n the s outhernmost s ites. Aguila O range i s the dominant type f or l arge monochrome bowls a nd j ars, t hough a s i n o ther r egions t hese w ere presumably l ocally p roduced and s how s light d istinctions i n s lip c olor, p aste, a nd s hape characteristics. T he dominant c oarseware i s T riunfo S triated. R elations a re a lso s een w ith s ites t o t he west a nd north, i ncluding a f ew t rickle d ecorated j ars i n X oclan T rickle-on-red which i s f ound at K ohunlich, B ecan, Y axuna, a nd B alankanche. T rickle wares a re not a s c ommon a s a t B ecan a nd a re r estricted to n arrow m outh j ar f orms. The

p eak

o f

c onstruction 1 14

a nd

perhaps

t he h eaviest

C eramic S equence o f Q uintana R oo occupation o f the s outhernmost s ites would appear to date to t he l ate phase o f the Early C lassic i nto the earlier Late C lassic. This Middle C lassic period i s marked by a s trong s imilarity w ith c ollections f rom northern Belize and Becan. The S uspiro variety o f Dos Arroyos Polychrome i s v ery s imilar to varieties f rom the Rio Hondo drainage and i s confined to the s outhern s ites o f T zibanche, Mario Ancona, and E l S uspiro ( Fig. 2 ). Exotics include red s lipped cylindrical t ripod v ases with both hollow and s olid s lab f eet ( Fig. 3 ). These again t ie i n with the Rio Hondo complexes. B lackware bowls and vases with polychrome stuccoed decoration a re a lso encountered. S ites north o f L ake Bacalar do not s eem to participate i n this r egional t radition a s s trongly, t hough o ne f ine biface b lade o f green obsidian d id come f rom the s ite o f Chichmuul.

I RA M MO W N IM M M M M M M m M

1 r

..

F ig. basal ( half

4 v e ws". . ........

2 . Dos Arroyos Orange Polychrome: f lange bowl f ragment f rom the s ite of s cale)

F ig. 3 . Solid s tamp decorated vessel o f M ario Ancona. ( half s cale)

Late

Suspiro variety E l S uspiro.

foot

f rom the

s ite

C lassic

The Late C lassic period i s one o f marked diversity in the c eramic tradition, c ontinuing and expanding on the r ifts t hat began to appear i n the E arly C lassic. A number 1 15

R obert E . F ry o f d iffering regional traditions i n utilitarian p ottery production were developed that were f airly h ighly l ocalized. While the s outhern s ites o f the z one c ontinue to show s trong interaction with s outhern l owland t raditions and even continue to r eceive tradewares such a s S axche a nd Palmar Orange P olychrome, the northern s ites begin to a ffiliate with t he s lateware t raditions which are generally a ssociated with the northern Yucatecan s ites and s ites in northern and central Campeche. I n the s outhern a nd s outh central z ones, monochrome b lack and brown wares b ecome more important in monochrome wares with the most common type, H erradura Brown-black, having a more opaque s lip, o ften being unslipped on vessel e xteriors. The most common f orm i s an o utflaring-side deep bowl o r basin w ith an i ncised g roove around the i nterior medial wall ( Figs. 4 a, 4 b). This type r esembles a s imilar s hape c lass i n n orthern Belize but there the predominant color i s orange-red. The northwestern c luster o f s ites has i ts own d istinct utilitarian tradition i n basins with the dominant type a variegated ware c alled Uomuul Orange-cream, having a d istinct panelled-wall basin f orm ( Figs. 4 c, 4 d). A lso f ound here are Holactun B lackon-cream b asins w ith l arge T -shaped l ips. Trade can b e s een in the presence o f Campeche l ocal types s uch a s Traino Brown a nd B ecanchen B rown at Uomuul a nd L as P anteras. The most widespread s latewares are the narrowmouth j ar c ategories s uch a s S acalum B lack-on-slate a nd Chumayel Red-on-slate. A w ide v ariety of u nslipped s triated j ars are h ighly r egionally specific, representing c loser s imilarity t o Encanto S triated i n the s outhern s ites, while the Uomuul a rea has Yokat Striated.

A

F ig. c , d )

4 . a , b ) H erradura Brown-black: Boca Uomuul Orange-cream: Uomuul variety.

1 16

Paila variety. ( half s cale)

C eramic S equence o f Q uintana R oo The s outhern s ites s eem to show c ontinuing i nteraction with the northeastern P eten t raditions, at l east early i n the Late C lassic, having both local versions o f S axche Polychromes with more opaque and noncolloidal s lips and paints, and t rue S axche Polychromes, which are probably tradewares. I n addition, l ocally strong regional traditions include imitation S axche tradition types w ith u nslipped exterior and minuscule medial r idges. T hese are a lso f ound i n northern B elize and constitute a r egional t radition l inking areas as far s outh as A ltun H a with s ites a s f ar north a s t he Lake Bacalar z one. Other s carce r egionally exchanged tradewares i nclude Egoista Resist i n the form o f tall thin walled vases a nd a f ew examples o f A zcorra Buff Polychrome, which may have been produced a s f ar away as E l Pozito ( Ball 1 977; F ry 1 983). T radewares f rom the Campeche a rea i nclude a f ew examples of Moro O range Polychrome a nd Chuntuori B lack-andorange. These t end to be found in s ites northwest o f Lake Bacalar, which a lso s how trade in utilitarian c eramics l ike the Traino a nd Becanchen groups. B lackwares i nclude Molino Black a nd l ater Achote B lack i n b oth i ts yellow paste and p ink p aste variants. Unusual types that again t ie i n Becan, n orthern Belize, and t he Quintana Roo r egion i nclude s calloped l ip Molino B lack a nd L angostino Red round s ide basins. The z one a round Uomuul s hows t he s trongest orientation to t he northern Yucatecan t raditions and belongs solidly w ithin t he Cehpech sphere. I t a lso has its own r egional o range d ichrome a nd polychrome t radition o f t he Panteras g roup which coexists with both Thin and Puuc S late wares. Thin S late wares i ncluded both Ticul Thin S late a s well a s Xul I ncised, Tabi Gouged-incised ( Fig. 5 ), and L as H igueras Impressed ( Fig. 6 ). Puuc S late wares include Muna S late, Tekit I ncised ( Fig. 7 ), Akil Impressed, Nohcacab Composite, and Chumayel Red-on-slate. Along with Yokat S triated these are a ll d iagnostics for the Cehpech sphere. Teabo Red i s f ound i n small quantities at s everal s ites but does not appear t o be a major component o f t he l ocal Cehpech ceramics. The s ites o f Las Panteras, Chichmuul, and Margarita Maza de Juarez a lso have a s ignificant f requency o f s latewares, but without the f ull r ange o f t ypes or t he more exotic ones l ike Nohcacab Composite. I t i s quite possible that these s ites were more marginal members o f the i nteraction complex a ssociated w ith t his s phere. Local s latewares are more variable in f iring and c ruder i n execution in imitation o f s erving forms l ike Tabi Gouged-incised. These s ites show greater interaction with s ites f arther s outh. The l ater s latewares span the t ime between the Late C lassic and Terminal C lassic. Late d iagnostics such a s h igh a nnular base vessels appear, but no true f ine paste

1 17

R obert E . F ry

F ig. 5 . Tabi s ite of Uomuul.

F ig. 6 . f rom t he

Tabi variety bowl

f rom the

L as H igueras Impressed: variety unspecified s ite o f Mario Ancona. ( one-third s cale)

\

F ig. 7 . f rom t he

Gouged-incised: ( half s cale)

T ekit s ite o f

r

i l ig

i sr i l l 1. 1 1 1 1 1 0

1

rai rsi

;

:

I ncised: variety u nspecified Chichmuul. ( one-third s cale)

1 18

bowl

t ripod p late

C eramic S equence o f Q uintana R oo vessels h ave b een f ound in the z one except some possible A ltar Orange f ragments f rom the s ite o f T zibanche. One p iece of S ahcaba Molded-carved was encountered at Las P anteras. Unusual exotics i nclude l adle i ncense burners with piecrust r ims. One o f these i s an unusual c rocodilian e ffigy l adle i ncense burner f rom the s ite of Las Panteras, p ractically i dentical with one reported to be o f Late Xcocom phase date at Becan ( Ball 1 977:122-124), and one o f Pasion complex association f rom A ltar de S acrificios ( Adams 1 971: F ig. 1 01c). The exact t ermination date o f this tradition, which marks the c essation o f major o ccupation o f t he s ites s ampled, i s open to question. I t i s quite possible that the s lateware t raditions may well have continued i nto the Early Postclassic. Without the presence o f imported t radewares s uch a s t he F ine Oranges o r P lumbate wares exact dating o f t ermination i s impossible. Late Postclassic There i s no evidence o f Middle Postclassic occupation of t he sites s ampled. The Late Postclassic i s a lso very s cantily r epresented i n the a rea i ntensively s urveyed, a lthough o utside our formal concession we d id note the heavy Late Postclassic occupation a long t he c oast, e specially a long Chetumal Bay ( Sanders 1 960). S everal s herds o f P ayil Red and Palmul I ncised were found, most at minor sites s uch a s the Ruben s ite on the e jido o f Vallehermosa and t he s ite o f E l Pedregal. The most abundant e xample o f Late Postclassic c eramics were the i ncense burners f ound at most o f the s ites. Very abundant s amples came f rom the s ites o f Margarita Maza de Juarez and L as P anteras w ith other examples f rom Ockat a nd Chacchoben. I n i nterior s ites l ike T zibanche and Mario Ancona the s impler Cehac-Hunacti c omposite type i s prevalent ( Fig. 8 ), a long with f ragments of a f iner c ut and i ncised t ype. Cehac-Hunacti censers a re f ound at Becan and other s ites i n e astern Campeche, Uaxactun, T ikal, and i n the Hocaba phase at Mayapan. These c ensers occur in c omplementary distribution to t he more prevalent Chen Mul c omposite modeled e ffigy i ncense burner that i s f ound in great f requency at Ockat, Chacchoben, Las Panteras, and M argarita Maza de Juarez. There a re s ignificant d ifferences i n p astes within this type even at s ingle s ites, indicating e ither multiple c enters o f origin or c hanges within a l ong continuing tradition. The major difference f rom t he c orpus f rom Mayapan i s the h igher f requency o f f emale torsos i n the Quintana Roo collections, and t heir relatively smaller s ize.

CONCLUSIONS I t

i s

c lear

t hat

t he 1 19

c eramic

h istory o f

the

area

R obert E . F ry

F ig. 8 . Cehac-Hunacti Composite: variety u nspecified c ensers f rom t he s ite o f T zibanche.(one-quarter s cale) surveyed by the Uaymil S urvey P roject i s l ong and c omplex. Much more excavation will be required t o define the Preclassic s equence. The s outhern p art of t he s urvey z one, with i ts complex raised f ield s ystems and more Petenl ike r idge and bajo environment, had continuing s trong i nteractions w ith P eten in the Early and Late C lassic a nd a lso r eflects broad c eramic s imilarities and o ccasional i nterchange with northern and north-central Belize. T he northern part o f the z one i s a ffiliated with t he Cehpech s phere i n t he Late and Terminal C lassic, and e arlier i n the C lassic i t a lso had s ome subtle s tylistic d ifferences i n t raditions i ndicating greater r egional autonomy. T he a rea adjacent to northern Lake B acalar had a d istinctive L ate a nd Terminal C lassic o ccupation w ith t ies both t o a reas f arther s outh a nd to the P uuc s ites. This area i s worthy o f f uture r esearch a s a possible gateway region during this t ime period. F inally, f urther investigation i s n eeded i nto t he question o f a d istinctive L obil phase i n the i nterior ( Harrison 1 979) with Late P ostclassic c ensers but with a s carcity of other ceramics. Acknowledgments The U aymil S urvey project was sponsored by the Royal Ontario Museum with the s upport o f the Canada Council, P eter D . H arrison, P rincipal I nvestigator. S upport f or the ceramic test p itting and analysis p rogram was p rovided t hrough an XL grant to the author f rom Purdue U niversity and a grant f rom the Penrose Fund o f the American P hilosophical S ociety. I would l ike to t hank P eter Harrison f or h is c ontinued s upport a nd encouragement. 1 20

C eramic S equence o f Q uintana R oo References ADAMS, 1 971

BALL, 1 977

FRY, 1 972

R .E. W. The Ceramics of Altar de Sacrificios, Papers of t he Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University). J . W. The Archaeological Ceramics of Becan, Campeche, Mexico, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 4 3 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

R .E. " Manually Operated Post-hole Diggers as Sampling I nstruments," American Antiquity 3 7:259-261.

1 973

" The Archaeology of Southern Quintana Roo: Ceramics", Atti del XL Congresso Internazionale degli Americaniti 4 87-493. T ilgher, Genoa.

1 974

" Settlement Systems i n Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico," paper presented in the s ymposium " Achaeology o f Southern Quintana Roo." at the XLI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas, Mexico, D .F.

1 983

" The C eramics of the Pulltrouser Area: S ettlements and Fields," i n Pulltrouser Swamp: Ancient Maya Habitat, Agriculture and S ettlement i n Northern Belize, eds. B . L. Turner, I I and P .D. Harrison, pp. 1 94-211 ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

HARRISON, 1 973

P .D. " Precolumbian Settlement Distributions and External Relationships in Southern Quintana Roo, P art 1 : Architecture." Atti del XL Congresso I nternazionale degli Americanisti 4 79-486 T ilgher, Genoa.

1 979

" The Lobil Postclassic Phase in the I nterior of the Yucatan Peninsula," Archaeology and Ethnohistory, eds. Hammond and Gordon R . Willey, pp. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

1 981

" Some A spects of Preconquest S ettlement in Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico," i n Lowland Maya S ettlement Patterns, ed. Wendy Ashmore, pp. 2 592 86. ( Albuquerque: University o f New Mexico P ress, S chool of American Research Advanced S eminar S eries).

PRING, 1 977

Southern in Maya Norman 1 89-202.

D . " The Ph.D.

P reclassic Ceramics diss., University of 1 21

o f Northern Belize," London.

R obert E . F ry S ANDERS, 1 960

W .T. Prehistoric Ceramics and S ettlement Patterns i n Quintana Roo, Mexico, Contributions to American Anthropology and H istory, vol. 1 2, n o. 6 0, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington Publication 6 06 ( Washington, D .C.).

1 22

8 L a C eräm ica d e l C läs ico T emprano d esde Mundo P erd ido , T ika l : Una R eeva luac iön J uan P edro L aporte y V ilma F iaZko

La s ecuencia c erämica d el C läsico Temprano d el ärea M aya e stg s ujeta a r evisiön s iendo e l problema f undamental l a c orrecta d ivisiön de l as f ases q ue i ntegran e l h orizonte T zakol en g eneral o complejo Manik en Tikal. D esde 1 967, W illey, Culbert, y Adams ( 1967:310) expresan que " durante l a e sfera T zakol • • • t ipos y modos s e duplican a t ravgs de l as t ierras b ajas, c on p oca t olerancia p ara l a d ivergencia l ocal e n l a decoraciön c ergmica. Las c erämicas d el grea s on extremadamente conservadoras a l c ambio." E s p osible que e l i ntercambio comercial y/o social f uera e l m ecanismo p rimario de d ifusiön para l a unidad c erämica ( Ball 1 976:327). La s ubdivisiön debe apoyarse t ambign en e lementos a dicionales a l a t ipologia c erämica c omo h istoria d inästica y evoluciön a rquitectönica. Desde l a f ormulaciön en t res f ases definida p ara e l h orizonte T zakol en U axactün, ha s usistuido l a i ncertidumbre s obre l as c aracterfsticas y f echas q ue r esponden a cada u na d e e llas. Trabajos posteriores en A ltar de S acrificios, S eibal, B arton Ramie, e ntre o tros, no h an l ogrado s olucionar e ste d ilema. Tampoco h a quedado c laro en l os anglisis m s r ecientes de T ikal, Y axhä, B ecän, y E dznä. F ue p osible s ubdividir a l horizonte T zakol en U axactün, T ikal, A ltar de S acrificios, y Chiapa de C orzo, p ero l os medios y d iagnösticos variaron r adicalmente de s ecuencia a s ecuencia. R . Smith ( 1955) c onsidera q ue e stas s ubdivisiones constituyen f ases y no c omplejos, l o mismo q ue e n T ikal. E n A ltar de S acrificios y B ecgn s e f orman d os c omplejos, uno d e e llos i ntegrado por dos f ases. En l as t ierras bajas Mayas, l os g rupos c erämicos m ayoritarios s e e ncuentran en l os materiales domgsticos e striados y " wares" l ustrosos ( glossy), t anto monocromos c oma polfcromos. L a c erämica monöcroma de engobe l ustroso e s de c olor naranja r epresentada en e l grupo Aquila, material mayoritario en t odas l as s ecuencias del C lgsico 1 23

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko Temprano. Otro grupo mayoritario e s e l Balanza, de c olor n egro, c on s us tipos decorativos Urita G ubiado-inciso y L ucha Inciso. Los polfcromos s on e stadfsticamente t ipos mayoritarios encabezados p or Dos Arroyos Naranja y C aldera Ante. E s usual e l convencionalismo en l os d iser ios g eometricos, antropomörfos, y z oomorfos, c ombinados c on la p resencia de base anular y pesta ' n basal. Las definiciones d el horizonte T zakol en d iversos s itios de tierras bajas han proporcionado informaciön s ustancia para l a mejor c omprensiön de l os f enömenos c ulturales que tienden a r eflejarse en l a producciön c erämica. Tradicionalmente y en base a l os materiales c erämicos de U axactün, e l horizonte T zakol s e ha d ividido en t res f ases mayores ( Fig. 1 ). T zakol 1 , entre ca. 2 50-350 DC, se c aracteriza por vasijas de ängulo-Z a gudo, o llas de c uello a lto, y vasijas monöcromas de c olor rojo-naranja. T zakol 2 , entre c a. 3 50-450 DC, que en U axactün t raslapa l a f ase media y parte de l a t ardfa del complejo Manik de Tikal, se d istingue por l os tipos polfcromos rojo, n egro, y gris s abre naranja; diversos bfcromos y una mayor importancia d el color crema; h ay bases anulares y pedestal, v asijas t eträpodes, y trfpodes con pestäha b asal; a lgunos s oportes s on a lmenados o rectangulares huecos. T zakol 3 , s ituado entre ca. 4 50-550 DC, presenta t ipos polfcromos r ojo, n egro, y gris sabre naranja o c rema, nuevas t ecnicas i ncluyen e l estampado, e l p lano r elieve, y e l e stuco p intado. Aparece e l Naranja Delgado. En Seibal s e considera l a f ase Junco c oma un p eriod° general y s in posibilidad de s ubdivisiön por l a e scasez de material y otras muestras d e ocupaci6n mayor en e l s itio ( Sabloff 1 975). En A ltar de S acrificios, e l c omplejo Ayn p resenta fuerte continuidad con e l Salinas Protoc16s ico. La f ase t emprana de Ayn i ncluye vasijas de gngulo-Z s in p estar ia basal; continüan l os s oportes mamiformes. L a f ase t ardfa marca l a apariciön de polfcromos de base a nular, de t rfpodes c ilfndricos c on s oportes r ectangulares a lmenados, y del grupo B alanza Negro, por l o que p uede a filiarse a l Manik 3 -A de Tikal. E l complejo Veremos e quivale a T zakol 3 ( Manik 3 -B en T ikal), a similändose de e sta manera a l as tradiciones del noreste de P etgn ( Adams 1 971). Ball, en s u estudio de l as c erämicas de Becgn, observa q ue l a distribuciön d el Chacsik t emprano e stä r estringida a s olamente dos l ocalidades. E sta f ase s e c oloca entre 2 504 00 DC, es decir que i ncluye l as f ases Manik 1 y 2 de T ikal. Chacsik t ardfo e s s imilar en componente a T zakol 23 , a barcando un corto perfodo hasta 4 50 DC, s iendo l uego r eemplazado por e l complejo S abucän, en f orma un tanto a brupta, e l cual e s m s extendido e n e l s ito, apareciendo entonces e l componente de caräcter f orgneo mencionado para 1 24

C ergmica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

D ECL INAC ION , C ARR,

U ,

1 960

PENSYLVAN 1A ESCALA :

Fig. 1 . 6C-XVI,

P lanta d e l ocalizaciön, Tikal, P etgn.

Mundo

P erdido

y

1: 6250

g rupo

l a f ase Manik 3 -A d e Tikal. B all sugiere que l a excepciön s ignificativa e s l a poca importancia l ocal del t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja ( 1977:130, 1 32, 1 56). E l complejo N abg de P iedras Negras i ncluye materiales de l os grupos c ergmicos Aguila Rojo-naranja, Balanza Negro, y e l t ipo Dos Arroyos Naranja P olfcromo, m s bien a sociados a trfpodes que a vasijas de base anular. " El c omplejo U itz o f ase tardra de Nab gt iene una pestaT ia basal q ue s e r educe solamente a un r eborde. S on muy e scasos l os s oportes rectangulares y a lmenados. En general, l as d iferencias entre Piedras Negras y e l ärea c entral parecen s ituarse en un n ivel de variedad" ( Willey, C ulbert, y Adams 1 967:2982 99). 1 25

J .P. L aporte y V . F ialko En E l Mirador, P ete-n , l a muestra e s r educida y l a mayorfa de l os t iestos i dentificados s on de las f ases T zakol 1 o 2 . No hay vasijas a l fresco y l os s oportes r ectangulares s on e scasos. La f orma mäs u sual p resenta ängulo-Z con pestar ia basal ( Hoopes 1 984:94). En E dznä, Campeche, e l C läsico Temprano estä r epresentado por e l complejo Poderes, no s ubdividido; esta o cupaciön no es muy generalizada a l s itio y h ay poca arquitectura que pueda a sociarse a e lla, a pesar de que se l ocalizö e scultura d el C läsico T emprano. Las s imilitudes entre contenidos t ipolögicos con Tzakol i ncluyen tipos del g rupo c erämico Aguila, l os polfcromos D os Arroyos Naranja y Caldero Ante, a s como a l utilitario T riunfo E striado. S in embargo, h ay d iferencias a n ivel c ontenido que se a centüan por l a a usencia del grupo c erämico Balanza, por l o que se menciona a l c omplejo P oderes como un m iembro " atenuado" de l a e sfera T zakol ( Forsyth 1 983:207, 2 16, 2 24). En e l c aso de Barton Ramie, e l c omplejo Hermitage no ha s ido s ubdividido; e s f uerte l a r elaciön con Petgn, p revalenciendo l os " wares" P eten L ustroso. Los t ipos policromados mayoritarios s on Dos Arroyos Naranja Actundän Naranja, c on d iser ios g eometricos, que pueden c orresponder a T zakol 1 , continuando en e ste complejo e l t ipo Aguacate Naranja, en su variedad P rivaciön. E s notable l a tradiciön de cerämicas de engobe r ojo, a d iferencia de l as de engobe naranja q ue predominan en P eten. L os modos de caräcter f orgneo no son usuales pero s e p resentan en c ontextos h abitacionales mediante s oportes r ectangulares del grupo Balanza ( Willey 1 965:566). En e l norte de B elice e ste h orizonte s e conoce como complejo Nuevo T zakol y e s de l os ms pobremente r epresentados. E l s entido de c ontinuidad e s muy f uerte a n ivel t ipolögico y de formas, mediante l a pestd5a basal s upliendo a l as l abiales o l aterales, s iendo m s importante en e ste momento que e l propio ängulo-Z, que procede del c omplejo F reshwater. H ay a lgunos s oportes r ectangulares f uera de contextos estratigräficos importantes ( Pring 1 976:41-48). Culbert, en su e studio de l os materiales de Tikal, h ace notar que l a e stabilidad de l os t ipos cerämicos a t ravgs del perfodo C lgsico Temprano e s a sombrosa. L a s ubdivisiön c ronolögica d el c omplejo Manik de T ikal r esulta confusa por no poder relacionar l a secuencia arquitectönica c on muestras t emporalmente diferentes. Aclara que f ueron e scasas l as muestras grandes que permitieran a nälisis c uantitativos ( Culbert 1 979: M-1). D e e sto s urge l a n ecesidad de analizar muestras de c aräcter s ellado« q ue ayuden a a clarar l a p resencia, f recuencia, y evoluciön de l as formas y t ipos c erämicos. En l os r ecientes t rabajos del Proyecto Nacional T ikal s e 1 26

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido cuenta con muestras que corresponden a l as diversas fases que c omponen e ste complejo. P ara e stos e fectos s e cuenta con dos s eries de hallazgos que proceden d e l as exploraciones l levadas a c abo en Mundo P erdido durante l as temporadas 1 980-1982 y del grupo 6 C-XVI, s ituado a l sur de dicho c onjunto monumental, durante l as t emporadas 1 982-1984 ( Fig. 2 ). Las muestras s elladas de Mundo Perdido corresponden a una s erie de e scondites d edicatorios y tümbas de 6 lite a sociadas a l os c ambios arquitectönicos que s e e fectuaron en l as diversas f ases d el C lgsico T emprano en l os edificios a l e ste de Gran P irämide o 5 C-54; e stos conforman un complejo de c onmemoracrön a str6nomica q ue venfa f uncionando desde l a epoca Precläsica ( Fig. 3 ). Por otra parte, l as muestras p rocedentes del g rupo 6 C-XVI c onsisten en dos depösitos problemäticos s ellados por s uperposiciön arquitectönica representativa de l a f ase media del c omplejo Manik. L a asociaciön d irecta de l as muestras con l a evoluciön arquitectönica de e stos c onjuntos p ermite relacionar e l contenido c erämico de l os hallazgos c on l as f ases c erämicas del c omplejo Manik. E sta circunstancia proporciona una buena posibilidad de replantear l os diagnösticos y l a c ronologfa especifica de l a f ase Manik 2 y s u r elaciön c on l a s ecuencia dinästica formulada para T ikal en trabajos anteriores. En e l p resente anälisis s e i ntenta una r evisiön t anto de l a divisiön c ronol6gica c omo de l os d iagnösticos y contenidos c erämicos arriba mencionados para l as f ases 1 y 3 d el horizonte T zakol. P ara e l p lanteamiento de l a f ase Manik 2 h a s ido necesario retraer a spectos de l a f ase precedente, a s c omo de l a f ase Manik 3 , d ejando e l anälisis especifico de e sta ü ltima para otra investigaciön por i ncluir c aracteristicas c ulturales de posible t radiciön foränea que necesitan de e lementos adicionales para s u evaluaciön. SUBCOMPLEJOS DE ASOCIACION R ITUAL P ara p resentar l os r esultados del anälisis c ergmico s e utiliza e l s istema t ipo-variedad que trata l a c lasificacign de materiales c erämicos en base a c onjuntos de r asgos o atributos observables. E stos c onjuntos, a l a lcanzar un n ivel de utilidad analitica, l ogran una s ignificaciön temporal, e spacial, y c ultural. Debe insistirse en que t ipos y variedades s on c onglomerados artificiales arbritrarios, ton ländose m s b ien como a rmas de trabajo para l ograr comparaciones concretas en e l ärea Maya y no como realidades c ulturales.

de

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J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko c olecciones d el c omplejo Manik e n t res c ontextos p rincipales: 1 ) d entro o c erca d e u n g rupo a rquitectönico mayor de naturaleza c eremonial, a l c ual pertenecen l as c olecciones de Mundo P erdido; 2 ) dentro d e g rupos a rquitectönicos de tamar io medio q ue c ombinan f unciones c eremoniales y r esidenciales, q ue e s e l c ontexto e n d onde s e ubican l as muestras p rocedentes d el g rupo 6 C-XVI; Y 3) d entro o c erca d e g rupos c eremoniales. En e l presente t rabajo s e u tiliza una unidad a nalftica e specffica en l os d enominados s ubcomplejos, l os cuales r epresentan conjuntos c erämicos d efinidos e n b ase a s u a sociaciön a u na c lase f uncional p articular, t al e l c aso d e l os s ubcomplejos f unerario, d e e scondites, o de i ncensarios ( Ball 1 977:3). En e sta c ategorfa h emos i ncluido a l os d enominados d epösitos p roblemgticos'por l as c aracterfsticas de n dole r itual que p arecen a sociarse a e llos. D entro de l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites q ueda e nmarcada l a muestra de m ateriales c ergmicos p rocedentes de Mundo P erdido, T ikal, que s e presenta e n e sta oportunidad. Un p osible e jemplo d e t ecnica a sociada a u n s ubcomplejo f unerario e specffico e s l a aplicaciön d e d ecoraciön s ecundaria s obre e l t ipo B alanza N egro, m ediante u na c apa d e e stuco c on d iser ibs i conogrgficos p intados e n d iversos c olores. E ste e s un r asgo q ue t ipifica a l a f ase Manik 3 -A, g eneralmente a sociado a un ceremonialismo a vanzado y a tumbas m ayores. Culbert documenta 2 4 entierros d e T ikal que c ontienen material d el c omplejo Manik y observa que l as v asijas d e e nterramiento s on u n modelo d istinto q ue l o r epresentado e n l as muestras d e t iestos ( 1979: M-85-91). Durante e l C lgsico T emprano y s obre t odo en l as f ases media y t ardfa, l os e nterramientos muestran u na m arcada p referencia p or l as c ergmicas policromadas y por l as i ncisas y gubiadas, l as c uales p arecen t ener u na d iferenciaciön f recuencial e ntre e stas f ases. S e c onsidera que l as s egundas s on ms i mportantes en l a f ase t ardfa m ientras l os t ipos p olicromados f ueron m s utilizados e n l a f ase media, l o c ual s e r efleja t ambign en l a f ase t emprana. E n l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites s obresale l a baja f recuencia del t ipo T riunfo E striado, a sociado ms b ien a vasijas d omgsticas y utilitarias, a unque en U axactün s e c onoce un e jemplar i nclufdo en e l e ntierro B -1 ( R. Smith 1 955: F ig. 1 2p). P roblemgtica e s l a c onsideraciön del grupo c ergmico Aguila, e l c ual a lgunos c onsideran no r epresentado e n e stos s ubcomplejos e specfficos, aunque h ayan s ido l ocalizados t ambien e n U axactün. E l material p rocedente d e M undo P erdido i ncluye a bundantes e jemplares d e e ste g rupo e n d ichos c ontextos, a demgs d e s u abundancia en l as c olecciones d e t iestos. A lgunas

d e

l as

f ormas e specificas m s 1 30

utilizadas

en

C erämica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido enterramientos s on l os p icheles y amplias f uentes con pestar ia basal y tapaderas cöncavas. S e i ncluyen a lgunas v asijas e ffgie, generalmente representando animales. Ademgs se consideran l os cilfndros trfpodes con o s in t apaderas c 6nicas, a sf como diversas formas especiales. E s evidente una mayor proporciön de vasijas con s oportes. A lgunas referencias posteriores que s e r elacionan c on l os enterramientos, e scondites, y depösitos p roblemgticos l ocalizados en l as exploraciones de Mundo P erdido y del grupo 6C-XVI e stan s ustentadas en documentos d el Proyecto Nacional T ikal. E stos i ncluyen l a i dentificaciön t ipolögica y descripciön de vasijas de H ermes ( 1984a, 1 985), un anglisis de materiales de dos hallazgos s ellados de l as exploraciones de campo s intetizadas en Laporte y F ialko ( 1985), l a identificaciön del c omplejo de conmemoraciön a stronömica en Mundo Perdido ( Fialko 1 985), y e l r eporte del a nälisis de r estos öseos de enterramientos l levado a c abo por Salas y Pijogn ( 1982).

LA FASE MANIK La F ase Manik

1

1 en Tikal

C ronolögicamente, Manik 1 de T ikal equivale a T zakol 1 de U axactün, a l f inal de l a f ase S alinas de A ltar de S acrificios, a l i nfcio de Junco de Seibal y de Hermitage en Barton Ramie, a s como a l Chacsik temprano de B ecgn. Considerando como a rbitraria l a f echa 2 50 DC, coinciden en c uanto a sus inrcios. E n e l caso de A ltar de S acrificios y de Barton Ramie, e l i nrcio del C lgsico Temprano s e modifica p or l a presencia d el c omponente P rotocläsico, c onocido como f ase S alinas en e l primer s itio y F loral Park en e l s egundo. La a usencia d el Protoclgsico en otros s itios de t ierra baja hace compleja s u consideraciön ( Pring 1 977). Manik 1 s e h a f echado t radicionalmente entre 2 50-350 DC. Dentro de l a s ecuencia dinästica de T ikal, l a c ual e s s ujeta a amplia d iscusiön y revisiön, e sta etapa corresponde a l r einado de gobernantes del l inaje Garra de J aguar, i ncluyendo personajes aun no i dentificados p lenamente. En e sta d iscusiön s ituamos l a f ase Manik 1 en un p eriod ( ) comprendido entre 2 50 y 3 00 DC, p lanteado p or s u poca definiciön cerämica. La f echa terminal podr a c orresponder a l a e ntronizaclön del s er ior de l a e stela 2 9 o p rimer gobernante conocido del l inaje Garra de J aguar ( Coggins 1 975; Jones y S atterthwaite 1 983). E sta r educciön c ronolögica de l a fase Manik 1 s e apoya en anglisis c ergmicos y arquitectönicos e specfficos de l a f ase Manik 2 , a sf como en datos aportados por l a e stela 3 9 de T ikal, l ocalizada en l as exploraciones de Mundo P erdido y f echada para 3 75 DC ( Ayala 1 985), f inales de l a f ase media, momento en q ue se observan l os primeros c ontactos c on i deas de c argcter forgneo. 1 31

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko S e observa u na r egionalizaciön d urante l os i nfcios d el C lgsico T emprano, a p esar de l a e stabilidad aparente e n l os g rupos c ergmicos. U axactün y T ikal i ncluyen e n s u i nventario c erämico f uentes de p estäna basal d esde e ntonces, mientras que A ltar de S acrificios, d urante Ayn t emprano o T zakol 1 -2, s e t ipifica p or c uencos d e a ngulo-Z, f orma m s a rcaizante. E s decir que d esde l os i nfcios d el h orizonte T zakol l as f ormas mäs populares s on l as f uentes d e pestar ia basal y base a nular, a s c omo a lgunos c uencos de ä ngulo-Z, e ntre o tros. En T ikal s abemos que Manik 1 p rocede de l a t radiciön c erämica d el c omplejo C auac d el P recläsico S uperior, a dicionando a lgunos modos d el P rotoclgsico o c omponente C imf, i ncluyendo tgcnicas d ecorativas p olicromadas, s oportes mamiformes, e tc. En r elaciön a l as f ormas c ergmicas, Culbert c onsidera q ue l a f ase t emprana e s b astante d istinta de l as otras, c onservando aun f ormas de e tapas a nteriores. " La f ase t emprana s e c aracteriza p or a ltas f recuencias d e d os e lementos, l as vasijas c on ä ngulo-Z ägudo y l os bordes d irectos. La f recuencia d el ä ngulo-Z agudo e s l a c aracterfstica ms n otable d e l a f ase t emprana, l a c ual a lcanza e ntre 1 2 y 3 0 p orciento de l a muestra" ( 1979:M-73). L as t apaderas c öncavas posiblemente s ean y a .de f inales d e M anik 1 . No hay c ilindros t ripodes y s e d ocumentan p ocos c uencos h emisfericos. A e sto s e s uma l a presencia d e b ases a nulares y pedestal. L a f alta d e definiciön d e l a f ase t emprana o T zakol 1 , r esponde a que h a s ido i ntegrada en b ase a l s urgimiento d e u n novedoso i nventario c ergmico r epresentado b asicamente p or e l grupo c eramic° A guila, t anto e n s us t ipos monöcromos c omo bicromos y p olfcromos, c on e l p redominio de e ngobe de c olor r ojo-naranja, c ontrastando c on l os e ngobes d e c olor r ojo o g rupo c erämico S ierra q ue d efinen a l P reclgsico S uperior. D esde l a e tapa anterior ya existfan l as t onalidades r ojo-naranja, p ero s u f recuencia e s s umamente b aja. Otros grupos cerämicos, t anto u tilitarios ( Triunfo) c omo e ngobados en n egro y c afe ( Balanza y P ucte), n o p roporcionan c ambios mayores. E s mäs b ien e l s urgimiento d e nuevas f ormas y l a p resencia d el e ngobe c oloidal q ue d a p or r esultado un a specto s uperficial l ustroso ( glossy), a d iferencia d el t acto j abonoso o c eroso ( waxy) d e gpoca a nterior, e l que marcarä e sta n ueva c ondiciön c erämica y c ronolögica. E l e ngobe c oloidal s e f orma p or e l r ecubrimiento d el e jemplar c on u n e ngobe c rema a r osäceo, a plicando l uego un engobe n aranja ( Forsyth 1 983:187). L os

H allazgos Manik I nvestigaciones

1 e n Mundo P erdido anteriores e n T ikal 1 32

han

proporcionado

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido materiales de l a f ase Manik 1 en dos contextos principales. Par un l ado, Culbert reporta una concentraciön cergmica ( Loc. 5 ) ubicada c erca de l a e structura 5 D-14 de l a P laza Oeste, con deposici sön e stratigräfica que permite observar l os c ambios entre f ases Manik 1 y 2 ; otra muestra i ndicada par Culbert ( Loc. 7 ) procede de una excavaciön en l a estructura 4 H-4, e s una muestra p equer ia s in estratigraffa, donde no s e refieren otras f ases cergmicas ( Culbert 1 979: M8 -9). Asimismo, Coggins hace referencia a l e scondite 1 44 colocado en e je b ajo l a e structura 5 D-22-2, c onteniendo dos p latos con paredes recto divergentes c olocados borde a borde; e l p lato que s irviö de tapadera t iene p intada en l a base una cabeza l levando coma tocado un j aguar ( Coggins 1 975:121 y F ig. 3 8a); e ste escondite f ue intrufäo dentro del d ep6sito problemgtico 8 7 que contuvo material Cimf. S e menciona ademäs t iestos p olicromados c orrespondientes a fuentes de pesta n basal y a lgunas tapaderas cöncavas provenientes de una concentraciön bajo l a e structura 5 D-50 de l a Acröpolis C entral ( Coggins 1 975:103-104). En Mundo P erdido l a variedad t ipolögica de l a muestra Manik 1 e s relativamente reducida; s e cuenta c on cuatro escondites ( PNT-007, 0 09, 0 12, y 0 14) y con e l entierro PNT-022 ( que incluye a los entierros PNT-017, 0 18, y 0 22), procedentes del e dificio 5 D-86 y de l a d enominada P laza Alta, frente a e sta e structura ( Fig. 3 ). No hubo depösitos problemäticos, basureros, o cualquier t ipo de d epösitos sellados o s in mezcla a signados a e sta f ase. Antecediendo a e stos hallazgos s e encontrö u na muestra de gpoca Protocläsica en e l entierro PNT-021, una tumba de s ecciön pentagonal a simismo a sociada a 5 D-86. Entierro PNT-022 o Multiple. Aparentemente l os acontecimientos r ituales de mayor envergadura en e l Preclgsico y C lgsico Temprano en Mundo Perdido, s e l levaron a c abo en r elaciön a l l ado e ste del c omplejo arquitectönico, normado p ar l a e structura 5 C-54 o Gran Pirgmide, que conjuntamente con l as e structuras 5 D-84, 8 6, y 8 8, i ntegra un c omplejo de conmemoraciön a stronömica. En relaciön a l e je de 5 D-86-5 ( Manik 1 ) y s ituado en l a P laza A lta, s e l ocalizö e l entierro P NT-022, mültiple o s imultäneo, c onsistente de 1 6 o 1 7 individuos s acrificados, que i ncluyö a dultos masculinos, f emeninos, e i nfantes. L a ofrenda c onsistiö en dos o llas de t ipo Quintal S in Engobe ( PNTA-016/017), una de e llas a cd r iada par p iedras calizas amorfas, un vaso de t ipo Dos Hermanos Rojo ( PNTA0 18, F ig. 4 ), f ragmentos de n ödulos y l ascas de pedernal, un f ragmento de p iedra de moler en cuarzo ( PNTL-076/78), fragmentos de varias hachuelas p ulidas en p iedra verde ( PNTJ-012), pendientes e laborados s abre , concha ( PNTC0 56/057), y c uatro discos de cerämica s in perforaciones, 1 33

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko que s on f ragmentos de vasijas S ierra Rojo y P olvero Negro.

reusadas

de

t ipos

Precräsicos

Posteriormente a l a deposiciön d e entierro PNT-022 s e c onstruyö una p lataforma c uadrangular en l a base de l a e scalinata de l a e structura 5 D-86-5. S i en un momento dado l a e stela 3 9 f ue c olocada en l a base 2 1 e l a escalinata de 5 D-86, no podria tener una relacion d irecta con l a d eposiciön d el entierro P NT-022 debido a l a diferencia de l as f echas consideradas. E scondite PNT-007 ( 5D-86-5). S ituado en e l relleno bajo l a p lataforma s uperior del edificio 5 D-86-5. Consistiö en doce p latos de t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja ( PNTA0 21/029; PNTA-133/135; F ig. 4 ); ocho de e llos se e ncuentra c olocados en pares borde a borde ( PNTA-021/022; PNTA0 23/024; PNTA-025/026; PNTA-027/028)7 e stos mismos contuvieron en su i nterior c onchas y caracoles marinos ( PNTC-025/052), huesos de animal, c uentas d e hueso, c oncha, y p iedra verde ( PNTJ-032/036), a sf como t ambign r estos de c inabrio ( PNTV-020). Las piezas que s irvieron de t apadera t ienen en l a b ase decoraciön c on g lifos pintados delineados en n egro, como e s e l c aso de PNTA-022, 0 24, 0 26, y 1 34 ( Fig. 5 ). S e i ncluyen dos d iscos de cerämica s in perforaciön. E scondite PNT-009 ( 5D-86-5). S ituado b ajo e l e scondite PNT-007, dentro del relleno del e dificio 5 D-86-5; c onsistiö en dos p ares de p latos c olocados b orde a borde, de t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja ( PNTA-032/035; F ig. 4 ), d epositados s obre una a cumulaciön de barro quemado, a l os cuales s e a socian 2 4 caracoles ( PNTC-034). E scondite PNT-012. Localizado en e l ärea d enominada P laza A lta, a l e ste de 5 C-54, f rente a l os edificios 5D-87 y 8 8. Consistiö en c inco o llas de t ipo utilitario o Quintal S in E ngobe ( PNTA-094/98; F ig. 4 ), muy fragmentadas, e ncontradas a 1 .10 m de l a superficie, apoyadas entre p iedras pequer ias. P arecen haber s ido i ntrurdas en un contexto T zec rompiendo un piso a 0 .30 m de l a superficie. E scondite PNT-014. S ituado en l a P laza A lta, a l norte de 5 C-54, j unto a l a e squina s uroeste de 5 D-77; c omo en e l c aso d el e scondite P NT-012, t ambien t iene c aracteristicas i ntrusivas a l haberse perforado dos n iveles d e pisos P recläsicos p ara c olocarle a 1 .32 m d e l a s uperficie. E l h allazgo consistiö en un p lato r ojo con pestar ia basal ( PNTA-099). Manik

1 Visto Desde

l os

Hallazgos

d e Mundo Perdido

Los materiales arriba descritos p ara l a fase Manik 1 s e i ncluyen d entro de l os subcomplejos f unerario y d e e scondites de Mundo Perdido, un conjunto a rquitectönico de f unciön e specializada en Tikal, por l o tanto representativo

1 34

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

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J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko

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C erämica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido p ara e l s itio, s ituandose e n contexto s ocial de u n g rupo a rquitectönico mayor de n aturaleza c eremonial. E ste c onjunto d e hallazgos t ienen una f ntima r elaciön a l e star a sociados c on e jes n ormados p or l a p osiciön de l a p irämide 5 C-54 y d eterminados eventos e specificos, t ales c omo o frendas dedicatorias o t erminales a l as r emodelaciones de edificios o d e c aräcter r itual como e l caso d el e ntierro P NT-022; l os e scondites l ocalizados e n diversos s ectores d e l a P laza A lta p udieran t ener una i nterrelaciön con l o anterior, p or e l h echo de i ncluir en s us materiales, r asgos d e c olocaciön y c ontenido c ompartidos c on l os hallazgos mencionados. L a variedad t ipolögica d e l os hallazgos Manik 1 e s b astante r estringida, p ero l lama l a atenciön q ue s e t rata d e e jemplares n o c onsiderados en o tros e studios que hacen r eferencia a e stos s ubcomplejos, c omo l o s on l os t ipos Aguila Rojo-naranja, Q uintal S in Engobe, y e l discutido t ipo D os H ermanos Rojo. E n e ste c aso no s e p resentan l os t ipos mas u suales a n ivel r itual, como podrian s erlo l os t ipos p olicromados y l as f ormas de vasijas c on ängulo-Z. E l t ipo Q uintal S in E ngobe c orresponde a l " ware" U axactün S in E ngobe, c ategorfa mayoritaria e n l os materiales d omgsticos de t ierra baja. Mediante l as c olecciones de T ikal, C ulbert i ndica que e ste t ipo p uede r elacionarse ms e n c uanto a p asta a l os t ipos e ngobados ( 1979:M-23-24). L os a tributos mas r elevantes de Q uintal S in E ngobe s on e l exterior a lisado y s u predominio en f ormas de o llas, c on borde e ngrosado y l abio a canalado; l os e jemplares e ncontrados en Mundo P erdido s on d e c uello c orto y m ediano. E l h echo d e q ue p uede a sociarse s u p asta r ags c on l a de t ipos e ngobados, a si c omo s u aparente r estricciön en c omparaciön a l T riunfo E striado, e s t ipo mayoritario e n l as c erämicas u tilitarias, h ace posible que e ste s ea un t ipo u tilizado no s olamente en c ontextos d omesticos, s ino e n l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y d e e scondites. E l grupo c erämico Aguila, c on a tributos de engobe c olor rojo a n aranja y a cabado l ustroso, e s un t ipo mayoritario, s obremanera s u v ariedad Aguila. D urante M anik 1 , e n e l s ubcomplejo de e scondites en Mundo P erdido, e s n otable e l amplio u so d el t ipo Aguila R ojo-naranja, c ircunscrito e xclusivamente a p latos de base p lana y p aredes r ecto divergentes, c olocados borde a b orde, s in manifestarse e l u so d e o tras f ormas que i ncluyan pestar ia b asal y ä ngulo-Z; p osiblemente e sto s e deba a q ue l a t radiciön d e e scondites d e p latos en pareja, c on e l s uperior i nvertido a f orma d e t apadera, s e i nicia en g poca P reclgsica, continuando h acia e l C läsico T emprano. E sta t radiciön p rosigue a un c on e l s urgimiento de l a t apadera c öncava en l a f ase M anik 2 , que s e a socia a l a f unciön que t iene e l p lato i nvertido. T ambien p ara e l C läsico T ardfo p rosigue una variante d el u so de t apaderas C öncavas e n e scondites, s egt in l o r efiere C oe para P iedras N egras ( 1959: 1 37

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko F igs.

6 1,

6 2).

Un a specto que da relevancia r itual a l uso de l os p latos Aguila Rojo-naranja d entro del contexto de e scondites Manik 1 es l a aplicaciön de diser ios g lfficos d elineados en negro s obre l a b ase d el p lato superior, l o c ual realiza l a f unciön e specffica de t apadera d e dicho p lato ( Fig. 5 ). La l ectura de e stos j eroglfficos e s parte d e un anälisis de l as i nscripciones del C läsico Temprano r ecopiladas en vasijas y monumentos de Mundo P erdido y z onas c ercanas. Dentro de e stos p latos f ueron encontrados generalmente c onchas, c aracoles, e spinas de r aya, cuentas d e hueso, c oncha, y piedra verde, a s como diversos pigmentos y material e specular. A lgunos objetos a dicionales a compar ian a l os anteriores, como son discos c erämicos o f igurillas en c oncha. Es notoria l a a usencia de i nstrumentos e n p iedra, s ean de pedernal o de obsidiana. I nclufdo en e l material del entierro PNT-022 s e encuentra un vaso de f orma p osiblemente f itomorfa adscrito a l discutido tipo Dos Hermanos Rojo ( Fig. 4 ). E ste t ipo f ue e stablecido en Uaxact5n ( R. Smith y G ifford 1 966:171), c omo perteneciente a l grupo cerämico Dos Hermanos del " ware" P eten Lustroso. C ulbert ( 1979: M-34) r echaza e ste grupo a l considerar que e l color rojo e ntra en e l r ango del t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja. E ste t ipo f ue empleado en otras c lasificaciones c ergmicas del c entro del ärea Maya, en e special en Barton Ramie, donde G ifford ( 1976:160-161) c onsidera dos t ipos, e l Dos H ermanos Rojo y s u t ipo p aralelo Mahogany Creek I nciso. S e m enciona en S eibal y en A ltar de Sacrificios l a presencia d e un t ipo s imilar en C aribal Rojo, a filiandose a l t ipo M acal Rojo-naranja de B arton Ramie ( Sabloff 1 975:105; Adams 1 971:21), l o que a poya su i nclusiön dentro d el t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja, por l o cual Dos Hermanos no s e documenta en d ichos s itios. E n l os e studios de l a c erämica de Mundo Perdido, s e ha r etomado a l t ipo Dos Hermanos para e ste ünico e jemplar debido a que l e caracteriza un engobe l ustroso c uyo c olor r ojo e s distintivo por presentar mültiples i nclusiones de minüsculos puntos n egros, q ue no s e e ncuentran en l os t ipos de grupo Aguila y que no e s posible j ustificar s olamente p or efectos de c occiön. La p resencia de e sta v asija en c ontextos Manik 1 , conjuntamente c on d iscos que r eutilizan b ases de vasijas Precläsicas en t ipos S ierra y P olvero, puede i ndicar que s e trata de un caso t ransicional motivado p or e l c ambio que s e s ucede en e l u so de engobes d e c olor n aranja desplazando a l color rojo; p or l o t anto, s olamente p odrfa l ocalizarse a l t ipo Dos H ermanos en c ontextos i niciales del C läsico Temprano.

1 38

C erg r r lica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido LA FASE MANIK La

F ase Manik

2

2 en T ikal

La etapa media del horizonte T zakol, equivalente a l as f ases Manik 2 y 3 -A de T ikal, a barca tradicionalmente de l os ar ibs 3 50-450 DC. A e ste marco de referencia s e agruparon l as s ecuencias de A ltar de S acrificios y B ecän, con s us correspondientes f ases Ayn tardfo y Chacsik tardfo. P ar a nälisis c ergmicos recientes, e s notable que e l marco cronolögico y de contenido e specificado para T zakol 2 , r esulta poco c onsistente para l a correlaciön cerg inica y cultural entre l as fases, debido a que s e han i nclufdo e lementos tanto de l a f ase media c oma de l a tardfa. E s decir que l a parte t emprana de Tzakol 2 corresponde a Manik 2 d e T ikal y l a parte tardfh de T zakol 2 equivale a Manik 3 -A d e Tikal. A l utilizar l a f echa terminal de 4 50 DC para Manik 2 se c rea un p roblema de contenido cergmico en e l s ubcomplejo f unerario, pues l as tumbas de c ada gobernante, s egün f ueron i dentificadas par Coggins ( 1975), e s decir e l entierro 1 0 para S enör Danto ( Curl Nose) y e l entierro 4 8 para Cielo Tormentoso ( Stormy Sky), c ontienen vasijas que s e i ncluyen en l a t radiciön c erämica Manik 3 -A, par i ncluir c ilindros y materiales e stucados, entre o tros. C aso aun m s c rftico e s e l entierro 2 2 y s u s upuesta a sociaciön a l gobernante Garra de J aguar. En e l caso d el sdr ior de l a e stela 3 9, f echada para 3 75 DC, e sta s ituaciön d ifiere, p ues de ser su tumba e l entierro PNT-019, l ocalizado en e l e dificio 5 D-86-7, este coincidirfa p lenamente c on l a definiciön de l as c erämicas de l a f ase Manik 2 , r azön par l a cual optamos par s ituar l a f ase Manik 2 entre l os ar ios 3 00 y 4 00 DC. E ste r ango c ronolögico propuesto para l a f ase Manik 2 , s e asocia a l os gobernantes del l inaje Garra de J aguar, comenzando l a f ase con e l senör de l a e stela 2 9, varios gobernantes no i dentificados aun, e l s e5or de l a e stela 3 9 de Mundo Perdido, hasta l a parte inicial del gobierno de Sd i ior Danto. En apoyo a l a reducciön cronolögica de l a fase Manik 2 a l s iglo IV, f ueron l os e dificios del c omplejo de conmemoraciön a stronömica en Mundo Perdido l os que proporcionaron l os e lementos arquitectönicos m s p recisos. Durante este s iglo s e adicionan l os cuerpos 9 y 1 0 a 5 C-54 o G ran P irämide y s e c onstruyen dos e stadfos arquitectönicos evidentes en l a e structura 5 D-86, s in embargo 5D-84 y 5 D-88 no mostraron mas que un e stadro. Los cambios s ignificaron una ü ltima s uperposici6n c onstructiva que cubriö a l os e dificios d esarrollados durante Manik 1 ; s e c onstruyen templos s uperiores y nuevos basamentos, que equivalen a l os e stadios 5 D-86-6 y 7 , 5 D-84-6, y 5 D-88-6. 1 39

J .P. L aporte y V . F ialko E s entonces que s e depositan una s erie de tumbas mayores en e stos t res edificios ( Fig. 3 ). A l termino de l a epoca Manik 2 s e r ecubrieron parcialmente sectores del basamento de 5 D-84-6 mediante l a a plicaciön d el modo arquitectönico talr id-tablero, mostrando l o que puede c onsiderarse c oma un rasgo Manik 3 -A en e stos edificios. P ara entönces son otros s ectores de Mundo Perdido l os que s e desarrollaron e spacial y a rquitectönicamente, marcandose a sf una reorientaciön de l a funciön r itual d e l a p irämide hacia e l l ado oeste de Mundo Perdido. De forma s imilar a l a epoca T zakol 1 , l a f ase media t ambign e stä poco d efinida a nivel c erämico, considerandose necesaria una reevaluaciön para documentar nuevos e lementos que amplfen l os mecanismos de d iferenciaciön especfficos de e sta f ase, debido a l os cambios importantes que s urgieron en l a f ase Manik 3 -A. Culbert, en r elaciön a su muestra de T ikal, indica que " la fase media d el c omplejo Manik e s i ntermedia, c ualitativa y c uantitativamente entre l as f ases t emprana y tardia" ( 1979: M-74). Las s epulturas de l a f ase media u tilizan en abundancia l as vasijas policromadas, en forma d e f uentes con p estä l ia basal y ängulo-Z r edondeado, c ubiertas par t apaderas c öncavas, c on a sas decorativas que pueden a doptar f ormas g eomgtricas, z oomorfas, o antropomorfas; tambign s e l ocalizan p latos de pesta i ia b asal c on v ertedera, p icheles, a lgunas vasijas e ffgie y vasos tetrgpodes. Los s oportes t ambign s uelen ser z oomorfos o geometricos. G eneralmente s e ha adicionado a l os cilindros t rfpodes y s us t apaderas c önicas d entro del r epertorio de f ormas d e l a f ase media del horizonte T zakol; l a presencia de c ilindros para e ste momenta e s debida a que e l period ( ) s e prolonga hasta 4 50 DC. A l restringirlo a 4 00 DC coma mäximo, e sta forma s e t orna d iagnöstica de l a f ase Manik 3 -A. En l a fase Manik 2 s e indican unos pocos cambios de f recuencia que quizä t engan a lguna s ignificaciön t emporal. Los t ipos mas f recuentes para e sta f ase s on, ademäs de l os monöcromos d el g rupo c erämico Aguila, e l bfcromo S an B las Rojo-sobre-naranja, y e l policromo Dos Arroyos Naranja; l os monöcromos del grupo c erämico Balanza y l as v ersiones t empranas de Lucha I nciso; l os polfcromos Caldero Ante y Yaloche Crema de grupo c erämico no e specificado. Los

H allazgos Manik

2 en Mundo Perdido

Dentro de l a t radiciön del horizonte T zakol, h an s ido pocos l os hallazgos r ecuperados para l as f ases t emprana y media en d iversos s itios explorados en l as t ierras bajas. Thompson ( 1939: F ig. 4 1) reportö e n S an J ose, B elice, un e scondite en e l e je de l a e structura D -1 consistente en 1 3 p latos de " ware" rojo, dos de e llos borde a borde y l os demäs invertidos s abre e l superior, de f ase San J ose I I. 1 40

C ergmica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido P or otra p arte, en P iedras N egras h ubo abundantes e scondites p ero n inguno podrfa a signarse a ntes d e l a f ase T zakol 3 ( Coe 1 959). A ltar de S acrificios p roporcionö e scondites, i ntegrados a l a f ase S alinas p or l legar e sta h asta e l 4 50 DC; l os e scondites 8 -30 consistieron e n 4 6 p latos, varios de e llos b orde a b orde, s ituados e n e l e je y r elleno d el e dificio B -I, s iendo p latos de b ase p lana y paredes r ecto d ivergentes, de t ipo Aguila R ojo-naranja y d e un t ipo no d esignado; no c ontuvieron n ada en e l i nterior. Tambign h ubo entierros C läsicos T empranos ( A.L. S mith 1 972:237). En e l P royecto T ikal d e l a Universidad d e P ennsylvania, l as muestras Manik 2 r eferidas p or C ulbert s on l as l ocalidades 3 -6, 1 3, 1 5-16, 1 9-20, y 2 3, p rocedentes d el e picentro y de z onas d e h abitaciön de T ikal. L as muestras por l o g eneral f ueron p eque5as s in mayor relaciön e stratigrgfica r ecopiladas en g ran parte de r ellenos e structurales, pozos e stratigrgficos, y r ellenos de c hultünes ( Culbert 1 979:M-7-15). Ademäs de l as muestras i ndicadas, e l (mica e jemplo a sociable a l s ubcomplejo f unerario de Manik 2 e s e l e ntierro 2 2, d e contexto e litista, l ocalizado bajo l a e structura 5 D-26 d e l a A cröpolis d el N orte. E n b ase a s u c ontenido c erämico, Coggins ( 1975:123-137) l e a signö una f echa para f inales d e l a f ase M anik 2 o i nfcios de 3 -A, d ebido a l a presencia de d os c ilindros t rfpodes, uno de e llos estucado y de t apadera c önica, v arias f uentes policromadas d e pestar ia b asal c on t apaderas c öncavas d ecoradas m ediante f iguras z oomorfas, u na v asija e ffgie q ue r epresenta u n mono, y un p ichel c on tapadera policromada. O tros entierros q ue c omparativamente p arecen c orresponder a l a f ase media d el h orizonte T zakol s on l os entierros B -2 de U axactün y 1 2 de A ltar de S acrificios ( R. Smith 1 955; A .L. Smith 1 972:245). En e l p resente t rabajo, adscritos a contexto r itual, s e c onsideran d iversos h allazgos e n Mundo P erdido que c omplementan e l a nglisis c ronol6gico y d e c ontenido de l a f ase Manik 2 , t al e s e l c aso de t umbas d e g u te ( entierros P NT-019, 0 24/26, 0 62/063); s e i ncluyen a demäs a lgunos e scondites d edicatorios ( escondites P NT-001/002, 0 08). Con e l f in de apoyar e sta s ecuencia s e i ncluyen d os d epösitos p roblemäticos p rocedentes de l as exploraciones del grupo 6 C-XVI de T ikal ( PNT-019 y P NT-031). Entierro PNT-019 ( 5D-86). L ocalizado e n e je s obre l a p lataforma s uperior d e 5 D-86-6, primero de l os e stadios c onstructivos de l a f ase Manik 2 , r ecubierto p or l a c onstrucciön del t empi° de l a ü ltima etapa. C orresponde a un i ndividuo masculino, de 3 6-55 a bs, e n p osiciön d ecübito dorsal extendido. F ue c olocado en u na t umba o rientada e ste-oeste, d e p lanta rectangular, cuyas d imensiones s on 1 41

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko 2 .85 m de l argo y 1 .12 m de ancho; l a a ltura del recinto e s de 1 .60 m . C ubierta par s eis l ajas c alizas a lineadas s in conformar böveda, muros y techo fueron totalmente p intados en una tonalidad rojo o scuro; e l piso c ontuvo gran c antidad de c inabrio y otras particulas e speculares, l o cual i ncidiö en l a a vanzada destrucciön de r estos ö seos y c onchas. La o frenda i ncluyö 1 3 vasijas ( PNTA-036/047, F ig. 1 3 y 1 4); c ollares, mgscara, o rejeras, p ectorales, y p laquetas s on de j ade ( PNTJ-015/031; 0 41/043; 1 33), pendientes y c ollares e laborados en c oncha, cuatro conchas s pondylus ( PNTC-059/083), pendiente en d iente ( PNTO-020), fragmentos de un posible mosaico en p izarra ( PNTL-014/015; 0 71/073), c inco e sculturas antropomorfas de e stuco que pudieron s er s oportes y asa de l a treceava vasija, l a c ual pudo s er de material perecedero. Fueron encontrados d entro de una vasija f ragmentos de un clbito y r adio derechos de un s ujeto f emenino. Entierro PNT-024 ( 5D-84). Localizado e n eje s abre l a p lataforma superior de 5 D-84-5 ( Manik 1 ), recubierto por l a c onstrucciön del t emplo 5 D-84-6. Corresponde a un i ndividuo f emenino de 3 6-55 ar ias, en posiciön d ecübito dorsal e xtendido. F u ec olocado en u na tumba o rientada e ste-oeste, cuyas d imensiones son 2 .43 m de l argo y 0 .75 m de ancho, c on 0 .80 m de a ltura. E l r ecinto f ue c ubierto par s eis l ajas a lineadas s in formar b öveda, c on indicios de h aber s ido recubierta c on p intura r ojo o scuro, m s evidente en l as l ajas del techo. La o frenda i ncluyö ocho vasijas ( PNTA-073/080, F ig. 6 y 7 ), c ollar y orejeras de j ade ( PNTJ-047/049), c ollar y t res conchas s pondylus ( PNTC-096/100). Muestra restos de c inabrio. Entierro PNT-025 ( 5D-84). Localizado e n eje s abre l a p lataforma superior de l a e structura 5 D-84-5 ( Manik 1 ), c olindante c on e l entierro P NT-024. Corresponde a un i ndividuo masculino, 2 1-35 ar ias, en posiciön d ecübito dorsal. Fu ecolocado en una tumba o rientada norte-sur, cuyas d imensiones s on 2 .69 m de l argo y 0 .75 m de ancho, c on 0 .90 m de a ltura; fu ecubierto par siete l ajas a lineadas. E l i nterior s e encontrö p intado de color rojo o scuro. La o frenda i ncluye s eis vasijas ( PNTA-081/086, F ig. 8 y 1 2), collar de c uentas de hueso, f igurita de hueso, p endientes e laborados s abre c oncha, t res conchas spondylus, y e spina de r aya ( PNTC-090/095), un p ectoral de j ade ( PNTJ0 50), f ragmentos de p irita; con abundante c inabrio. Entierro PNT-026 ( 5D-84). Localizado en el r ecinto s ur de l a C amara 2 , b ajo e l p iso del p rimer e stadfo de e sta c gmara ( 270.84 m SNM); es un entierro d irecto y p rimario c olocado d entro de un relleno poco c onsistente; no s e l e 1 42

C er lämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde K ind° P erdido

PNTA 079

2 CMS

F ig.

6 .

Cerämica d e

entierro PNT

0 24.

a socia construcciön ni p iso de s ustentaciön, como s ucediö en e l caso de l os e ntierros P NT-025 y 0 26. Corresponde a u n i nfante, de 0 -3 ar ios, consiste en un f ragmento de cräneo y d ientes, posiblemente haya e stado o rientado n orte-sur. La o frenda i ncluyö s eis vasijas ( PNTA-087, 0 89/093, F ig. 1 2), una f igurita de b arro mostrando un i ndividuo d eforme, collar d e j adeita y hueso, orejera y pectoral de j ade ( PNTJ-044/046), c ollar de c uentas e laboradas en c oncha, y f ragmentos de una concha spondylus ( PNTC-101/103).

1 43

J .P.

0 I

1

2

4 CMS

1

I

PNTA 077

F ig.

7 .

Cilindros

tripodes

L aporte y V . F ialko

PNTA 0 78

de

1 44

entierro

PNT

0 24.

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

PNTA 084

PNTA 085

0

2

4 CMS

E NT IERRO P NT 0 25

F ig.

8 .

Cergmica d e

entierro PNT

0 25.

E ntierro PNT-062 ( 5D-88). Localizado en e l e je, s obre lo q ue pudo corresponder a una banqueta de l a p lataforma superior de 5 D-88-5 ( Manik 1 ) cubierto par l a construccien del t emplo s uperior; c orresponde a un i ndividuo masculino 2 1-35 ar i as, en p osiciön dec5bito dorsal extendido. Fug colocado en u na tumba o rientada e ste-oeste, cuyas dimensiones s on 2 .60 m de l argo y 0 .90 m de a ncho, can 1 .1 m d e a ltura; f ug c errada par s iete l ajas. E l e squeleto s e 1 45

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko encontrö en mal e stado de c onservaciön, habiendo estado impregnado de c inabrio; un canino s uperior p resentö i ncrustaciön de p irita tipo E-1. La o frenda consistiö de 1 7 vasijas ( PNTA-167/183, F ig. 9 , 1 0, y 1 1), i ncluyendo varias e ffgies z oomorfas, u na orejera de concha, pendientes de c oncha, cinco conchas s pondylus ( PNTC-115/123), pectoral, o rejera, y c uenta d e j ade ( PNTJ-056/058, 2 04), y una navaja de obsidiana ( PNTL0 27), c on r estos abundantes de c inabrio. Entierro PNT-063 ( 5D-88). Localizado en e je, r eferido a l p iso 2 69.06 m SNM; no s e conoce can c laridad s i e ste p iso p udo corresponder a una i ncrementaciön tardfa de 5 D8 8-5 ( Manik 1 ); fug cubierta por e l templo de 5 D-88-6. E l entierro de t ipo i ndirecto f ug r emovido en u na f ase posterior no p lenamente e stablecida; correspondiö a u n i ndividuo f emenino, 1 8-20 ar ios, cuyo c räneo p resenta posible deformaciön i ntencional de t ipo tabular e recta. Las dimensiones de l a tumba e ste-oeste f ueron de 2 .48 m de l argo y 0 .70 m de ancho, c on 0 .65 m d e altura, cubierta por s eis l ajas a lineadas. D e l a o frenda quedaron dos vasijas ( PNTA-191/192, F ig. 1 2), dos cuentas p erforadas de j ade ( PNTJ-059/060), cuentas y p endientes de c oncha y una c oncha spondylus ( PNTC-104/113); tambien se e ncontraron f ragmentos de una f igura i ndeterminada con h uellas d e e stuco verde, b lanco, y n aranja ( PNTF-123). E scondite PNT-001 ( 5C-54). L a s ecuencia e stratigrgfica de l a p lataforma superior e n Gran P irgmide e s c onfusa por l a s erie de r emodelaciones estructurales f inales que s e l levaron a cabo durante e l C lgsico T emprano. S obre l a estructura 5 C-54-5, construida en Manik 1 mediante o cho cuerpos, se e fectuö l a superposiciön del c uerpo 9 durante Manik 2 t emprano para f ormar 5 C-54-5A; en Manik 2 t erminal s e adicionö e l cuerpo 1 0 f ormando a sf 5 C-54-5B. Localizado en e l relleno del s ector c entral de l a p lataforma s uperior de 5 C-54-5A y bajo e l primero de una s erie de cuatro pisos asociados a e sta p lataforma, s e encontrö e l e scondite PNT-001, a l c ual s e asocia e l piso 2 88.64 m SNM. E ste escondite, j unto c on e l P NT-002, c orresponde entonces a l a e levaciön del cuerpo 9 d e 5C-545 , paralelo a l a c onstrucciön d el e dificio 5 D-86-6 ( Manik 2 t emprano) a simismo componente del c omplejo de conmemoraciön a stronömica. E l e scondite PNT-001 c onsistiö en dos c uencos c olocados borde a b orde, a sociados a un l echo de p iedras y t ierra gris ( PNTA-048/049, F ig. 1 5). E stas vasijas pueden p ertenecer a un t ipo d el c omplejo Manik que utilize engobe r aja, coma e s e l caso del t ipo Minanha en B arton R amie, o a un t ipo raja no designado, t al v 6 z Aguila Rojo-naranja: variedad Rojo Mate, debido a que s egün e l p roceso e volutivo 1 46

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

PNTA 1 76

PNTA 1 15

0

2

4 CMS

ENT IERRO

F ig.

9 .

Cerämica de

entierro 1 47

PNT

0 62.

P NT 0 62

J .P. L aporte y V . F ialko

PNTA 1 7 1

. < . PNTA I OC

PNTA

0 70

PNTA 0

2

1 74

4

E NT IERRO P NT 062

PNTA 1 73

F ig.

1 0.

Cerämica de

entierro 1 48

PNT

0 62.

C erämica d el C lgsico T emprano desde Mundo P erdido

2

4

I

F ig.

1 1.

Cerämica de

entierro PNT ' 149

0 62.

J .P. L aporte y V . F ialko observado en l a p irämide, su ü ltimo e stadfo c onstructivo no puede c olocarse mas a llg del horizonte T zakol. E scondite PNT-002 ( 5C-54). A 0 .75 m mgs abajo d el E scondite P NT-001 y a sociado a l a c onstrucciön del C uerpo 9 de 5 C-54-5A ( Manik 2 temprano) s e e ncontrö el E scondite PNT-002 c onsistente en dos p latos de t ipo Aguila Rojonaranja c olocados borde a borde c onteniendo en su i nterior c inabrio y otras particulas e speculares ( PNTA-050/051, F ig. 1 5). S e l e a socia ademäs una c oncentraciön de materiales f ragmentados entre l os c uales s e e ncuentra un p lato completo ( PNTA-052) y un f ragmento mayor de p lato a l cual l e f alta l a base ( PNTF-045), ambos d el tipo Aguila Rojonaranja. E scondite PNT-008 ( 5D-86). Localizado en el e je e steoeste sabre l a p lataforma superior de 5 D-86-6 ( Manik 2 t emprano), c ubierto por l a c onstrucciön del t emplo 5 D-86-7 y posiblemente a sociado a l entierro P NT-019. Consistiö en una vasija c ilfndrica ( PNTA-030, F ig. 1 5) que contuvo en s u i nterior una vasija z oomorfa miniatura ( PNTA-031, F ig. 1 5), a demas c uentas de p iedra verde ( PNTJ-013/014), varios implementos lfticos en pedernal ( PNTL-008/013, 0 74/075), f ragmentos de hueso t rabajado ( PNTO-014) y cuenta, p laca, y e spina de r aya ( PNTC-053/055). Depösitos Problemgticos del Grupo 6 C-XVI. Con e l f in de comparar l os materiales descritos en l os subcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites de Mundo P erdido, s e incluyen dos muestras procedentes del grupo 6 C-XVI, l ocalizado unos 3 50 m a l s ur del nücleo principal d el c omplejo c eremonial Mundo P erdido ( Fig. 2 ); 6 C-XVI resultö t eniendo una densa o cupaciön d el C läsico Temprano, s ubyaciente a s u n ivel s uperficial del C lgsico Tardio, cuando s olamente c onforma un modesto grupo habitacional. E stas muestras consisten en dos depesitos problemgticos ( PNT-019 y PNT-31) considerados importantes p ara l a determinaciön d el c ontenido cerämico de l a f ase media del horizonte T zakol. Depösito P roblemätico PNT-019. Localizado en e l r elleno d el edificio S ub-07, f ormando p arte d el n ivel i nicial de c onstrucciön o estadfo 1 , s ituado en e l l ado e ste de l a P lazoleta S ur del grupo 6 C-XVI. E sta e structura e s una p lataforma e stucada con e l f rente hacia e l o este, de menos de 0 .50 m de a ltura. E ste depösito de materiales f ue c oncentrado en una hoquedad tallada en l a roca n atural entre una matriz de t ierra n egra s uelta con escasa p iedra pequer ia, de 1 .50 m profundidad, 4 .50 m e ste-oeste, y 6 .00 m n orte-sur. E l contenido t iestos c erämicos, adornos y otros artefactos de h ueso y adornos en piedra

e s s umamente variado y s e compone de dos vasijas c ompletas ( PNTA-328 y 3 32), e lementos de concha ( PNTC-214/238), t rabajado ( PNTO-183/229), herramientas ( PNTL-098/113; PNTJ-098/099), y r estos 1 50

C erämica d el C lasico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

P NTA

PNTA 092

087

PNTA 093 PNTA 089

E NT IERRO P NT 0 26

1

1 h 4 11 1 1

4 1 . 4

4

I N N I N I O F PNTA 083

E NT IERRO P NT 0 25

E NT IERRO 0

F ig.

1 2.

Cergmica d e

entierros

PNT

0 25,

2

PNT 063

4 CMS

0 26,

y 0 63.

ö seos humanos y animales. S e l e considera vaciado en un 5 0% aproximadamente; f ueron r ecuperados 3 5,953 t iestos. P or s u contenido t ipolögico pertenece p lenamente a l a f ase Manik 2 . D ep6sito Problemätico PNT-031. E sta c oncentraci6n de materiales, considerada originalmente como un entierro s ecundario mültiple ( entierro PNT-060), s e l ocaliza a 4 .45 m de profundidad b ajo e l l ado oeste del edificio sub-75, 1 51

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko

PNTA

036 PNTA

PNTA 039

F ig.

1 3.

038

PNTA 040

C ergmica de e ntierro PNT 0 19.

s ellado p ar un p iso e stucado d el e stadro 1 3 del c onjunto, r emodelaciön a signada a l a f ase Manik 3 -A. E ste d eposito c orresponde a una d eposiciön que a ntecede a l e stadro 8 , momento d e t ransiciön e ntre l as f ases media y t ardra. C oncentrado en u na matriz de t ierra n egra s uelta c on poca p iedra p equer ia, dentro de u na h oquedad en l a r oca c aliza d e 0 .80 m profundidad promedio, c on 4 .00 m n orte-sur y 1 .20 m e ste-oeste e n e l s ector n orte y u na extensiön a l 1 52

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

4

1

PNTA 04 1

PNTA 042

« NM I

PNTA 04 4

E NT IERRO

PNTA 045

P NT 0 19

P NTA 043 0 1

F ig.

1 4.

Cerämica

de

2

4 CMS

I

entierro

PNT

0 19.

s ur de otros 2 .30 m este-oeste. E l contenido e s variado c on a bundancia de restos öseos humanos y animales, tiestos cerämicos, dos vasijas completas ( PNTA-205 y 2 10, Fig. 1 5), adornos y otros e lementos de concha ( PNTC-150/155), a rtefactos de hueso ( PNTO-097/099), e implementos de piedra ( PNTL-098/113). Fue vaciado en un 7 0% aproximadamente, r ecuperando 7 .694 t iestos. Por s u contenido t ipolögico p ertenece a l Manik 2 terminal. 1 53

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko

0 t

2 t

4 Cl/

E SCOND ITE P NT 0 00

PNTA 031

PNTA 030

E SCOND ITE

P HI 002 PNTA

050

PNTA 051

E SCOND ITE P NT 00 1'

PNTA

PNTA

044

049

E NT IERRO P HI 060 \

F ig.

I 11 11 1111 1 1 11

PNTA

1 5.

205

P P 4 TA 2 10

Cerämica de varios

escondites

1 54

y entierros.

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido M anik

2 V isto

D esde

l os

Hallazgos

de Mundo

P erdido

La s ecuencia de t umbas a sociadas a l c omplejo de c onmemoraciön a stronömica i ndica que f ueron depositadas en t res momentos: l os e ntierros P NT-024, 0 25, y 0 62 f ueron c olocados previamente a l os entierros PNT-026 y 0 63, l os c uales c oinciden c on r emodelaciones previas a l t ermino de l a construcciön d e l os templos 5 D-84-6 y 5 D-88-6; en e l t ercer momento s e coloca e l entierro P NT-019 a l c onstruir e l templo f inal 5 D-86-7. Arquitectönicamente, s olo l as t umbas P NT-019 y 0 63 presentan p isos p ropios, p ues l as d emäs s e s ostienen s obre p isos y construidos. P or e stos d etalles en l a d eposiciön de l as t umbas, p uede p lantearse u na s eparaciön de l os momentos t emprano y t ardfo de l a f ase M anik 2 , s in que e sta d ivisiön represente a s ubfases e spec ficas. No e s posible s ituar e sta s eparaciön en un marco cronolögico p reciso debido a que l as e tapas c onstructivas s e r ealizaron c on poca d iferencia t emporal e ntre e llas. E l e ntierro P NT-019 e s e ntönces e l ü ltimo d e l a s erie de l a f ase Manik 2 y puede anteceder b revemente a l e ntierro 2 2 encontrado en l a Acröpolis del N orte y q ue, como i ndica Coggins, darra i nicio a l a s erie de entierros Manik 3 -A. P räcticamente todas l as tumbas f ueron c olocadas en e l e je e ste-oeste d el edificio, o rientadas e n e sa d irecciön, e xcepto l os entierros PNT-025 y 0 26. E s interesante que t anto e ntierros c omo e scondites f ueron c olocados en e l e je p rincipal de l as e structuras. L as o frendas por l o g eneral f ueron c olocadas r especto a l a pelvis y a l törax de l os i ndividuos. G ran p arte de l os motivos z oomorfos que s e i ncluyeron en l as v asijas f ueron r elacionados c on a ves: g uacamayos, garzas, pavos, ademäs de tortugas, monos, j aguares, l agartos, e i nsectos. P uede resumirse que en l os entierros de l a s erie t emprana de Manik 2 , aunada a l as f ormas t radicionales d e f uentes o p latos d e pestar ia basal y ängulo-Z c on t apadera c öncava, r esultan c aracterfsticas l as f ormas de vasos t etrgpodes, vasijas efigie que r epresentan guacamayos y m onos, p icheles de p aredes d elgadas o de grosor u sual, p latos c on vertedera, soportes con l a parte s uperior b ulbosa, t apaderas cöncavas c on r efuerzo a ngular s uperior. L as vasijas pueden suscribirse a l os t ipos Aguila Rojon aranja, B alanza N egro, P ucte C afe ', y l os policromados C aldero Ante y Y aloche Crema, s iendo notoria l a ausencia d el D os A rroyos N aranja P olrcromo. En cuanto a decoraciön privaron d iser ios i conogrgficos c omplejos, en l os c uales s e i ntegran motivos antropomorfos, z oomorfos, a bstractos, geomgtricos, y g lificos, s obresaliendo l as f ormas s erpentinas. L os c uerpos de l os a nimales, cuyas c abezas s on l as a sas de l as tapaderas c öncavas, s iempre s e desarrollan p intados e n l a s uperficie 1 55

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko d e e stas. En e l c aso del c ontenido d el entierro P NT-019, r epresentativo d e l a f ase Manik 2 , e n s u m omento t erminal, r esalta l a a usencia de p latos de ängulo-Z a 4do y d e vasos t eträpodes; p equer ias a lias cubiertas p ar t iestos r ecortados s on u suales; s obresale e l mayor d esarrollo d imensional d e l as f uentes c on t apadera r especto a l os de l a serie a nterior. S e r epresentan t ambien d iversos animales; l os c onceptos d ecorativos s on s imilares a l o d escrito, aunque h ay menor u so d e l a policromia. T uvo mayor a bundancia d e a dornos en j ade, o bjetos de c oncha, y de o tros materiales e speciales q ue l as otras tumbas c onsideradas. Un c aso s obresaliente d entro d el c ontenido del entierro f ug l a presencia de una vasija teträpode de material p erecedero de l a cual g nicamente q uedaron l os s oportes e laborados en e stuco r epresentando c abezas h umanas p intadas e n n egro, r ojo, verde, y b lanco, a si c oma e l a sa c on una f orma h umana completa l a c ual i ndica que dicha v asija t uvo t apadera; n o s e c onociö l a f orma precisa. Otro c aso que p uede r elacionarse a l a p arte t erminal d e M anik 2 s e encuentra en u na f igura e laborada e n e stuco d el e ntierro P NT-063, c uyo e stado f ragmentario i mpide d eterminar s u c onformaciön. L a i nclusiön de m ateriales e stucados en e stas t umbas l as aproxima a l c aso d el e ntierro 2 2 de l a A cr6polis d el N orte. E s evidente que l as tumbas e litistas d e f ase M anik 2 e stan r epresentadas p ar l as de Mundo P erdido en c uanto a c ontenido, d iversidad t ipolögica, f ormas c erämicas, y c onceptos decorativos o i conogrgficos, p ar no c onocerse o tras en T ikal. S u aparente a usteridad r especto a l as t umbas M anik 3 -A d e l a A cröpolis d el N orte p uede m s bien r eflejar l a t radici6n o i deologfa del l inaje a l que c orrespondieron. Los e scondites de f ase Manik 2 p rosiguen c olocändose en e l e je d e e structuras; s on m enos n umerosos q ue en l a f ase Manik 1 p ero s u posiciön s uperpuesta b orde a borde r efleja l a misma t radiciöh de e tapas a nteriores; e l c ontenido e s menos d iverso y abundante, aunque p ersiste e l u so d el c inabrio y de a lgunos m ateriales m arinas, r egistrandose mayor numero de i mplementos l fticos; l a a plicaciön d e j eroglfficos en l a b ase d el p lato s uperior no s e documenta, a unque e llo no s ignifica s u a bandono, p ues en gpocas p osteriores e ste r asgo v uelve a detectarse en un e scondite d el C läsico T ardlo. L as f ormas u suales s iguen s iendo p latos de p aredes d ivergentes y s e i ncluyen c uencos de p aredes c urvoc onvergentes, a sf c oma un v aso c ilindrico n egro d e t apadera p lana. L a variedad t ipolggica s e r educe a l os t ipos A guila Rojo-naranja, B alanza N egro, y u n r ojo n o e specificado. C omo en l os c asos anteriores, p arecen s er o frendas 1 56

C eräm ica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido terminales r eferidas a l f inal d el u so d el e dificio o p arte de un r itual q ue a compan6 a u n proceso de remodelaciones arquitectönicas. Una variante d entro del s ubcomplejo d e e scondites p ara l a f ase Manik 2 v ienen a s er l as c oncentraciones de materiales l fticos depositadas en e jes r especto a l a base y descansos de e scalinatas, c omo l o i lustraron l os e scondites PNT-091 y 0 92.

LA FASE TERMINAL DEL HORIZONTE T ZAKOL EN T IKAL Debido a l a e stabilidad de l os t ipos c erämicos e s complejo d ividir e n l as colecciones de t iestos a l as f ases i ntegrantes d el c omplejo Manik en T ikal. E s h asta e l horizonte T zakol 2 (b) o Manik 3 -A en T ikal, c uando puede l ograrse una s eparaciön a decuada en l os s ubcomplejos f unerario, de e scondites y de d epösitos p roblemäticos, pues se t ornan populares a lgunos t ipos c ergmicos q ue p ermiten f ijar e l momento c ronolögico c on mayor p recisi6n. La f ase Manik 3 f ue s ubdividida p or C oggins ( 1975) en A y B ; Manik 3 -A c ubre e l period° c aracterizado por l a presencia d e r asgos de c argcter f oräneo, p resumiblemente Teotihuacanos, m ientras Manik 3 -B r efiere una revitalizaciön d e f ormas t radicionales en e l r epertorio d e l as c erämicas e litistas, dando i nicio a l as t radiciones del horizonte T epeu. En e sta propuesta s e r etrocede e l i nicio d e Manik 3 -A para c oincidir c on l a muerte d el g obernante S ef lor D anto en 4 26 DC ( 8.19.10.0.0) y d e manera m 's j ustificada h acia l os mediados de s u r einado, e s d ecir h acia 4 00 D C, momento en que aparecen por vez primera l os rasgos f orgneos en l as c erämicas e litistas. L os t ipos c erämicos d iagnösticos p ara e sta f ase p ueden s urgir d esde l a f ase m edia y a lgunos d esde l a t emprana, pero l a f recuencia q ue muestran e ntonces no e s s ignificativa y . p arece s er muy d iferente a l a a lcanzada durante l a f ase t ardfa. La mejor p osibilidad de r econocer l as c olecciones pertenecientes a l a f ase Manik 3 -A l a p roporciona e l i nventario de f ormas c erämicas; a lgunas d e e llas r efieren un d rästico a umento, t ales c omo l os c ilindros t rfpodes c on s oportes a lmenados y t apaderas c 6nicas, e n vez de l as c öncavas d el p eriod° a nterior, a s c omo l a decoraciön s ecundaria en e stuco c on p intura mülticolor y d isel ios i conogrgficos c omplejos aplicada a l os c ilindros d el t ipo Balanza Negro, l o c ual g eneralmente s e h a c onsiderado c omo muestra de l a i ntroducciön f oränea a l i nventario c ergmico l ocal. E l p roblema r eside en q ue e stos materiales s e presentan s olamente en c ontextos r ituales y d e dep6sitos e speciales, p ero n o s e l ocalizan e n r ellenos u o tro t ipo d e desechos. 1 57

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko En r elaciön a formas c erämicas s e incrementa e l uso en l os subcomplejos especiales de l os c ilindros trfpodes de s oportes r ectangular o a lmenado y cuencos de paredes curvoc onvergentes, continuando e l u so de l as fuentes de pestar ia basal, mermando l as f uentes de ängulo-Z agudo y de l as t apaderas c öncavas. I gualmente ütiles pero mgs dificiles de observar s on e l a umento f recuencial de tipos especfficos coma e l Maaz Rojo E striado y Japan Resist, estando documentado este ' U ltimo, a l menos dentro de l as colecciones de t iestos del P royecto Nacional Tikal, d esde Manik 3 -A, aunque d esafortunadamente s on t ipos c erämicos e scasos. E l Maaz Rojo E striado da i nicio en l a f ase media i ncrementando su f recuencia hacia l a f ase t ardfa. Continuan t ipos c an decoraciön e specffica de l os grupos cergmicos Balanza, P uctg, y Aguila, a sf coma e l g rupo de polfcromos no e specificados. D e acuerdo a l os d iagnösticos anteriormente mencionados s e p uede i ndicar que l os h allazgos Manik 3 -A r esultan abundantes en contextos de s ubcomplejos f unerario y de depösitos p roblemgticos tanto en Tikal coma en Uaxactr in, A ltar de S acrificios, B ecgn, A ltun Ha, y Rio A zul, e ntre o tros. En Manik 3 -B h ay c ambios par e l abandono del uso de vasijas e stucadas y de cilindros trfpodes. Prosiguen l os t ipos correspondientes a l os grupos cerämicos Triunfo, B alanza, y Aguila, aunque e ste g rupo comparte indices f recuenciales c on cergmica de engobe rojo que s erg abundante en l a f ase i nicial d el C lgsico Tardfo ( Ik), coma e l Rojo Nanzal y una variedad t emprana de Rojo Tinaja. Los policromados r et inen caracteristicas decorativas de ambas f ases. S urge l a decoraciön mediante bandas g lfficas, pasando e sta a l i nterior de l as vasijas. Manik 3 -B equivale a l a f ase T zakol 3 , de duraciön variable en l as d iversas regiones d e l as tierras bajas c entrales, e stando mas definida en e l grea del rio de l a P asiön ( fase Veremos de A ltar de S acrificios) y en e l s ector norte ( fase S abucgn de B ecgn). E n e stos s itios l a f ase T zakol 3 s e i nterpola con l a parte i nicial del C läsico Tardio, l o c ual no es tan evidente en T ikal, U axactün, y Barton Ramie, en donde e l c ambia e s r elativamente m s abrupto, aunque l a posibilidad de a islar una s ubfase Manik 3 -B posterior a l a introducciön de l os r asgos f oräneos que define a Manik 3-A, permite l ograr e ste s uave cambio y l a introducciön de l os nuevos modos d el C läsico Tardio. P ara encabezada Tormentoso,

Manik 3 -A l a s ecuencia dingstica estarfa p ar l os gobernantes S e? for Danto, Cielo y J abal Kan, quienes c ubrirfan parcialmente l a

1 58

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido gpoca entre 4 00 y 5 00 DC, s ituaciön que puede variar s egr in adelante l a i nvestigaciön epigräfica. Manik 3 -B puede dar i nicio con e l gobernante Crgneo Garra de Jaguar a partir de 5 00 DC y continuar con Doble Pajaro, en 5 37 DC, hasta a lcanzar una f echa aproximada en 6 00 DC, cuando definitivamente s e inician l os movimientos del C lgsico Tardfo ( Ik en T ikal), posiblemente c on l a entronizaciön de E scudo Calavara ( Jones y Satterthwaite 1 983).

CONSIDERACIONES GENERALES Dentro del a nälisis del contenido de l os s ubcomplejos funerario y de e scondites de l a f ase Manik 2 en Mundo Perdido, T ikal, s obresali6 l a importancia de diversas tumbas c onsideradas de c aräcter e litista por s u posiciön y contenido, mismas que fueron s ituadas en l os edificios que i ntegran e l l ado e ste d el complejo de c onmemoraci6n a stronömica, desarrollado en Mundo Perdido desde t iempos P recläsicos; a simismo r esultö notable l a abundancia de e scondites dedicatorios o t erminales s ituados en l a e structura 5 D-86, c ompartiendo e l e je este-oeste que privö entre este edificio y 5 C-54 o Gran Pirämide ( Fig. 3 ). Hasta e ste momento no s e habian l ocalizado tumbas de importancia social en e stos complejos e specializados y era mas bien s u ausencia un r asgo caracterfstico de e llos, debido a que e l 5nico complejo de e ste t ipo explorado habia s ido el g rupo E de U axactün, donde f ueron l ocalizados e scondites que i ncluyen r estos humanos, pero que no i ndican que a este t ipo d e g rupos s e l e implementarä una f unciön colateral d e ndole f uneraria para l inajes principales o de poder. S in embargo, p arece haber correspondencia c on e l c aso de Mundo P erdido, en cuanto a l a tradiciön de e scondites a sociados a e jes, mediante p latos c olocados borde a borde del tipo Aguila Rojo-naranja, s egt in l o i ndican l as ofrendas 9 -13 encontradas en l a e structura E VII y las c istas 1 , 6 , y 8 del templo E-II ( Ricketson y R icketson 1 937:150-152). En Tikal, g eneralmente s e considerö a Mundo P erdido como un grupo donde no h abian s ido erigidas e stelas; e l s orpresivo hallazgo en e l templo 5 D-86 d el f ragmento de l a e stela 39, f echada en 3 75 DC, momento t erminal de l a f ase Manik 2 , cambiö e stas apreciaciones y condujo a pensar que l a e stela 2 9, anterior a e sta, p udo proceder o riginalmente de e ste complejo, talvgs a sociada a l a base del mismo edificio, todo e sto apoyado en l a deposiciön durante l a f ase Manik 1 del entierro multiple PNT-022 y l a existencia desde los infcios de Manik 2 de una p lataforma en l a base de l a escalinata de 5 D-86.

elite

La posible a sociaciön entre monumentos y entierros de puede i ndicar que l os c onjuntos a rquitectönicos a l as

1 59

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko q ue s e a socian t endrSan l a f unciön c olateral de f ndole f uneraria m encionada, t al l os c asos d e Acröpolis d el Norte y a hora, Mundo P erdido, quedando p lanteada l a interrogante de l a a usencia en e l g rupo E de U axact n de e ntierros c orrespondientes a i ndividuos de l inaje s obresaliente, no o bstante l a e recciön d e l as e stelas 1 8, 1 9, E -1, y 2 0, del C lgsico T emprano. L a i mportancia d e entierros colectivos c omo marcadores de eventos r ituales e specificos t ambign e sta e jemplificado e n e l s itio M iramar, Chiapas, d onde s e e ncontraron 1 9 e squeletos y t res c rgneos d epositados en una f osa; s e 4n e l e studio d e s us p osiciones, e stas p arecian s er victimas d e u n s acrificio masivo. Agrinier ( 1978:3, 1 6-17) c onsidera que e ste t ipo de s acrificios c olectivos s on ms c aracter sticos d el C lgsico Medio t emprano y q ue l os motivos p ueden s er d e ndole votiva, p ropiciatorios, o de r ituales a stronömico-calendgricos. E l entierro P NT-022, c on c aracteristicas s imilares a l d e M iramar, estg s ituado e n e l e je p rincipal d el c omplejo de conmemoraciön a stronömica, por l o que puede r eflejar r ituales asociados a e ste t ipo d e c omplejos a s c omo l os r elacionados a l a d edicaciön d e monumentos. L a s erie d e t umbas d e f ase M anik 2 e ncontradas e n Mundo P erdido a dquieren i mportancia d ebido a que no s e h abian l ocalizado o tras t umbas d e e sta gpoca e n e xcavaciones a nteriores en T ikal, s iendo a si su c ontenido s ignificativo para l a definiciön d e l as f ormas y t ipos c ergmicos ms f recuentes p ara e ste c eremonial f unerario; c aso s imilar l o r epresentan l os e scondites d e fase Manik 1 d el m ismo c onjunto, t ampoco f recuentes en e xploraciones d e s itios mayores. E sta s ituaciön p ermite lograr u na d efiniciön c ergmica a decuada p ara e stos periodos. E n U axactün s olamente h ay r eferencia a d os e nterramientos que p ueden c orresponder a e stas f ases; e l e ntierro B -1 puede r eflejar c iertos r asgos d e l a f ase t emprana, mientras e l B 2 e ncaja p lenamente en l a f ase media ( R. S mith 1 955: F ig. 1 2 y 1 3). P ara l a f ase Manik 1 r esulta n otable l a existencia d e d ecoraciön g lifica de c argcter c aligrgfica aplicada a l a b ase d el p lato s uperior e n l os e scondites de t radiciön b orde a borde ( Fig. 5 ), l o c ual c oncuerda con e l motivo i conogrgfico que aporta Coggins ( 1975:121, Fig. 3 8a) e n r elaciön a l e scondite 1 44 d e l a Acröpolis d el Norte; l os g lffos s e a plicaron s obre p latos d el t ipo Aguila Rojon aranja, q ue de ' sde e ntonces s e r eporta como un t ipo c erämico i mportante p ara e l s ubcomplejo de escondites, a simismo u sual dentro de l as o frendas f unerarias. J unto a e stos c omplejos d e c aracteristicas r ituales d eberfan i ncluirse l os d enominados d epösitos problemgticos, q ue s on c oncentraciones masivas d e material c erämico d epositadas g eneralmente en h oquedades t alladas en l a r oca 1 60

C erämica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M ündo P erdido c aliza; a d iferencia d e l os b asureros, s u c ontenido i ncluye v asijas c ompletas, f ragmentos y objetos c ompletos e n h ueso t rabajado, concha, j ade, otras p iedras verdes, i mplementos l fticos, materiales e xöticos, a s c omo a bundantes h uesos h umanos y de a nimal. E ste t ipo d e d epösitos p arecen s er p arte de u na t radiciön l igada a un r itual M aya d esde e l i nicio del a sentamiento P recläsico. Para l a f ase Manik 2 e l s ubcomplejo f unerario c ontempla u na marcada e specializaciön e n l a e laboraciön de l os e jemplares c ergmicos d epositados en t umbas, i ndividualizando l as p iezas p rincipales e i ncluyendo a simismo o tras v asijas de c argcter m s g eneralizado, c omo p ueden s er o llas, p latos, y p icheles. L a r elaciön e stilistica de l as f uentes d e p estar ia b asal y t apadera c öncava entre l as d istintas t umbas e s notable; s us a sas, g eneralmente e laboradas, r epresentan f ormas g eomgtricas o a nimales, c uyos c uerpos s e extienden en l as t apaderas. De e sta manera e s e vidente e l u so d el modelado c omo u na tgcnica decorativa primaria; ademäs d e l as a sas de t apaderas cöncavas, t ambien en l os s oportes t etrgpodes s e a doptan f ormas g eomgtricas c ompuestas donde p redomina una s ecciön bulbosa e n l a p arte s uperior; e stos s oportes s ostienen a v asos, c uencos, y p latos; o tros s oportes s on z oomorfos r epresentando l agartos y j abalfes s osteniendo g eneralmente o llas. S obresalen l as v asijas e ffgie e n f orma de g uacamayos y m onos, c uya c aracterfstica c omün e s q ue l a boca de l a vasija f ug utilizada c omo base, c olocgndose d entro de p latos q ue g eneralmente p resentan v ertedera ( Fig. 8 , 1 0, y 1 1); e n e l c aso d e l os monos, l a c ola s irve de a sa. E l c oncepto d e l a v asija e ffgie z oomorfa d e e ste t ipo p uede proceder d e u na t radiciön anterior, a l h aber s ido l ocalizada en e l s itio de Cuello, u na d e e llas, r epresentando a u na g uacamaya ( Hammond 1 982). Lo que p odrfa s er un r asgo p articularmente d iagnöstico p ara l a f ase Manik 2 l o c onsistuyen t apaderas C öncavas c on r efuerzo a ngular ( Fig. 8 y 1 2); p arecen marcar u na t ransiciön entre e l c oncepto d e t apadera c öncava y d önica, e stas ültimas s erän c aracterfsticas de l os c ilindros t rfpodes de M anik 3 -A, l legando a a doptar c on e l t iempo una f orma convexa. E n l as t apaderas cöncavas de r efuerzo angular s e desarrolla e l c oncepto d e t runcar l a p arte s uperior s obre l a c ual s e c oloca e l a sa; e sta s uperficie p lana s e r efuerza mediante una s ecciön a ngular " hombrera"; f ueron l ocalizados d os c asos d el t ipo A guila Rojo-naranja en l os e ntierros P NT-025 y 0 62. Apoyando l a i dea de e sta t ransici6n , s e observa una t apadera c önico t runcada e n una f uente de pestdr ia b asal d el t ipo C aldero Ante Polfcromo ( Fig. 1 2). La t radiciön p ol fcroma o bservada e n l as vasijas de f ase Manik 2 encontradas e n e l s ubcomplejo f unerario de Mundo Perdido i ndicö u na marcada p referencia p or l os t ipos 1 61

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko Caldero Ante y Yaloche Crema excluyendo t otalmente a l t ipo mayoritario en l as c olecciones de t iestos, e l Dos Arroyos Naranja. P or l o g eneral, l os d ise5os s on desarrollados en f uentes con pestar ia basal, tapaderas cöncavas, y vasos t etrgpodes que muestran a spectos i conogrgficos complejos de motivos s erpentinos, z oomorfos, y g lificos demarcados por p aneles. L a exclusiön en l as tumbas Manik 2 del tipo Dos Arroyos Naranja P olfcromo, a s c omo d el S an B las Rojos obre-naranja, no puede j ustificarse e n e l s entido d e que f ormen p arte de c ontextos r ituales mas l igados hacia l o habitacional por s er t ipos mayoritarios en l os depösitos p roblemäticos, debido a que en e stos contextos t ambign aparece e l Caldero Ante; e l hecho d e que l os polfcromos a sociados a e stas tumbas s ean exclusivamente Caldero y Yaloche quiz äpueda deberse s implemente a l resultado de una p referencia particular por parte del'linaje r epresentado en l os entierros de Mundo Perdido. En o tros s itios, c omo en U axactün y A ltar de S acrificios, existe e l t ipo Dos A rroyos Naranja en contexto f unerario, aunque en a lgunos casos se t rata de enterramientos de l a f ase t ardfa ( R. Smith 1 955; A .L. Smith 1 972). En e ste anälisis hemos optado por retomar l os d iscutidos t ipos Dos H ermanos Rojo y D iscordia Negro, por c onsiderar que su d efinici6n t ipol6gica e stä apoyada en una buena seriaciön e stratigrgfica y arquitectönica. E n e l c aso del t ipo Dos Hermanos Rojo s e encontrö una vasija c ompleta de f orma p oco u sual ( Fig. 4 ), cuyo engobe moströ una caracteristica s uperficial bastante uniforme mediante m ultiples i nclusiones de puntos n egros q ue no pueden a tribuirse s olamente a un accidente t ecnolögico durante l a c occiön de un e jemplar d el t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja; l a c oloraciön notablemente m s roja l e aproxima a ser u n tipo poco f recuente y t ransicional con l as c ergmicas del g rupo Rojo S ierra del period° Precläsico. S u apariciön en un h allazgo d e f ase Manik 1 apoya s u existencia c omo t ipo. E l t ipo Discordia Negro, caracterizado p or l a delgadez de s us p aredes, f ue adscrito a l " ware" Petgn Lustroso por c ompartir rasgos c aracter5 ' sticos de composiciön de pasta c on materiales d el g rupo Balanza, d esestimando l a p osibilidad de que pueda adscribirse a un " ware" Negro D elgado. E sta r epresentado en p icheles de r educido t amar io i nclufdos tanto en l as tumbas d e f ase Manik 2 como d epösitos problemäticos ( Fig. 1 2); parece s er u n tipo popular en e sta f orma e specffica, d iferenciandose en tama n de otros p icheles d el t ipo Balanza Negro que s e encontraron c oexistentes en e l mismo contexto; c omparten e l rasgo de l a base pedestal i ncipiente que tambien fuera observada en o tras vasijas de e stas tumbas. P or l a delgadez obtenida a l modelar l a pasta, e l t ipo D iscordia pudo s er implementado e specificamente p ara l a manufactura d e p icheles miniatura. U axactün r efiere e ste t ipo en f orma d e pichel tanto p ara l a

1 62

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido f ase mayor

Tzakol a ltura

2 como para T zakol 3 , s iendo para entonces de ( R. S mith 1 955; Fig. 1 2r y 2 3b3).

La d ivisiön t radicional del horizonte T zakol, s egun f uera definida en b ase a l os estudios de Uaxactün, ha c al :do en un traslape c ronolögico que a fecta l a definiciön del contenido c erämico d e l as f ases media y tardfa, imposibilitando l a observaciön de l os cambios c erämicos diagnösticos y l os fenömenos sociales a sociados a 6 stos. Esta s ituaciön s e ha venido observando en l os e studios posteriores a l de U axact r in en l as t ierras bajas Mayas. H a resultado necesario e l r eplanteamiento de l os contenidos cerämicos y posiciön c ronol6gica de cada una de l as f ases con l a finalidad d e obtener apreciaciones m s c oncretas que involucren no s olamente a l material c erämico, s ino a l epigtäfico y arquitectönico para e nglobar en f orma p recisa l os movimientos s ociopolfticos del C läsico Temprano. En base a l c ontenido de l os subcomplejos f unerario, de escondites y depösitos problemäticos de l as f ases Manik 1 y 2 e n Mundo Perdido y 6 C-XVI en Tikal, se ha pretendido replantear cronolögicamente a l horizonte T zakol, proponiendo que l a f ase Manik 1 quede a dscrita en un märgen temporal de 2 50 a 3 00 DC, corto perfodo t ransicional que amalgama l as t radiciones P recläsicas c on l as C läsicas Tempranas. La f ase Manik 2 , de 3 00 a 4 00 DC, s e define como una e tapa i mportante en c uanto a l a c lara definiciön cerämica l ocal y e n cuanto a l os a spectos culturales del horizonte q ue ya c onllevan eventos dinästicos documentados. La f ase Manik 3 -A, entre 4 00 y 5 00 DC, caracterizada por l a evidente p resencia de rasgos que h an s ido c onsiderados foräneos dentro d el i nventario cerämico l ocal en contextos r ituales. La f ase Manik 3 -B, de 5 00 a 5 50 DC, s e caracteriza por e l abandono de l os r asgos a rriba mencionados p ara l as cerämicas e litistas, a sf como c iertos cambios en l a tradiciön c erämica generalizada que presagian l os m ovimientos s ocioculturales d el C läsico Tardro.

Agradecimientos L as i lustraciones f ueron r ealizadas por O scar Cano, Gustavo Valenzuela, y Paulino I srael Morales. S e agradece l a c olaboraciön p restada por Lilian Vega de Z ea.

Referencias

ADAMS, 1 971

R . E.W. The Ceramics o f A ltar de Sacrificios. P apers o f t he P eabody Museum, Vol. 8 , No. 1 . ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

1 63

J .P. L aporte y V . F ialko AGRINIER, 1 978

P . A S acrificial Mass Burial at Miramar, Chiapas, Mexico, Paper No. 4 2 New World Archaeological Foundation ( Provo: Bringham Young University).

AYALA FALCON, M . 1 985 La E stela 3 9 de Tikal, Mundo Perdido. I nternacional de Mayistas, Centro de Mayas, UNAM, Mexico. BALL, 1 976

J . W. " Ceramic Sphere Affiliations of the Barton Ramie Ceramic Complexes," in Prehistoric P ottery Analysis and the Ceramics o f Barton Ramie in the Belize Valley, ed. J .C. G ifford, pp. 3 23-330. Memoirs o f the Peabody Museum, Vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

1 977

COE, 1 959

Coloquio E studios

The Archaeological Ceramics of Becan, Campeche Mexico. Middle American Research I nstitute, Pub. 4 3. ( New Orleans: Tulane University). W . R.

COGGINS, 1 975

Piedras Negras Archaeology: Artifacts, Caches and Burials. Museum Monographs, University Museum ( Philadelphia: University o f Pennsylvania). C .C. " Painting and Drawing Styles at T ikal, an Historical and I conographic Reconstruction," Ph.D. diss., Harvard University.

CULBERT T .P. 1 979 " The Ceramics o f T ikal: Eb, T zec, Chuen, Manik Ceramic Complexes", ms. University Arizona, Tucson. FERREE, 1 972

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F IALKO, 1 985

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FORSYTH, 1 983

" The Pottery Censers of diss., Southern I llinois

and o f

T ikal, Guatemala," Ph.D. U niversity, Carbondale.

"Mundo Perdido, T ikal: I dentificaci6n de un Complejo con Implicaciön Astronömica," Coloquio I nternacional de Mayistas, Centro d e E studios Mayas, UNAM, Mexico. D . W. Investigations at Edzna, Campeche, Mexico: Ceramics, Paper No. 4 6, New World Archaeological Foundation ( Provo: Brigham Young University).

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C eräm ica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido GIFFORD, 1 976

J .C. Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics of Barton Ramie, Belize, Papers of the Peabody Museum,

HAMMOND, 1 982

HERMES, 1 984a

( Cambridge,

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N . "A Late Formative Period Stela Lowlands," American Antiquity 4 7:2

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B . I nforme s obre f echamiento de l as exploraciones de Mundo Habitaciön, Tikal. Informe, Tikal, Guatemala.

lotes cergmicos de Perdido y Zonas de Proyecto Nacional

Evoluciön cronol 6gica del material cerämico. Ponencia, Simposio " Plaza de la Gran Pirämide o Mundo Perdido", Museo de Arqueologfa

1 984b

Etnologia, Adiciones

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Manik Tikal, 1 985

Catälogos

HOOPES, 1 984

Guatemala. tipol ögicas

de Tikal. Guatemala.

Nacional Proyecto

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de

C .,

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diversos

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y Uaxactun. Guatemala.

l a cerämica del Periodo Mesoamgrica 7 : 9 3-102.

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de

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The Monuments and I nscriptions of Tikal: The Carved Monuments. Tikal Report No. 3 3, Part A , ( Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum).

LAPORTE, 1 984

1 985

Dos Depösitos Sellados, Grupo Proyecto Nacional Tikal,

El Grupo 6C-XVI, Tikal, Petgn: Habitacional del C läsico Temprano. Coloquio I nternacional de Mayistas, Estudios Mayas, UNAM, Mexico.

LAPORTE, 1 985

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J .P. El Complejo Manik: 6C-XVI, Tikal. Guatemala.

un Centro Ponencia, Centro de

J . P., Y V . FIALKO ( ed.) Reporte Arqueolögico ( 1979-1984): Mundo Perdido y Zonas de Habitaciön, Tikal, Peten. 1 0 volumenes, Guatemala.

G . W., Y P IERRE AGRINIER "Mound 1 , Chiapa de

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Corzo,

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Mexico,"

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J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko Excavations at Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico, ed. G . Lowe y P . Agrinier, pp. 1 -63, New World Archaeological Foundation, ( Provo: Brigham Young University). PRING, 1 976

D .C. "Outline Sequence,"

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of the Northern Belize Ceramic Ceramica De Cultura Maya 9 : 1 1-51.

" Influence or Intrusion? The ' Protoclassic" i n the Maya Lowlands," in S ocial Process in Maya Prehistory, ed. N . Hammond, pp. 1 35-165. ( New York: Academic Press). D .S., Y P . M. RICE " The Northeast Antiquity 4 5(3):

Peten 4 32-454.

R ICKETSON, OLG., Y E .B RICKETSON 1 937 Uaxactun, Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution o f ( Washington, D .C.). SABLOFF, 1 975

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M .E. Y C . PIJOAN Informe Sobre los Restos O seos de Mundo P erdido, Tikal. I nforme, Proyecto Nacional Tikal, Guatemala y Departamento de Antropologfa Fisica, INAH, Mexico.

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A . L. Excavations at Altar de Architecture, Settlement, Burials, Peabody Museum, Vol. 6 2, No. 2 , Mass.: Harvard University).

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R .E. Ceramic Sequence at Uaxactun, Guatemala: Vol. I I I. Middle American Research I nstitute, Pub. 2 0, ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

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The Pottery Museum, Vol. University).

Sacrificios: and Caches, ( Cambridge,

of Mayapan. Papers of the Peabody 6 6. ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard

R .E., Y J .C. GIFFORD Maya Ceramic Varities, Types and Wares at Uaxactun: Supplement to " Ceramic Sequence at Uaxactun", Middle American Research R eports, Vol. 4 , pp. 1 25-174 ( New Orleans: Tulane University). 1 66

C erämica d el C lasico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido THOMPSON, 1 939

J .E. Excavations at San Jose, British Honduras, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington Publication, ( Washington, D .C.).

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Y R .E.W. ADAMS " The C eramics o f Colha After Three F ield S easons: 1 979-1981," i n Archaeology at Colha, B elize: The 1 981 I nterim Report, eds. T . Hester, H . S hafer y J . Eaton, pp. 2 1-30, Center f or Archaeological R esearch ( San Antonio: University o f Texas).

WILLEY, 1 965

G .R., W .R. BULLARD, J . GLASS, Y J .C. GIFFORD P rehistoric Maya S ettlements in the B elize Valley, P apers o f the P eabody Museum ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

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G ., T . P . C ULBERT, " Maya L owlands Guatemala C ity 3 2(3): 2 89-315.

Y R .E. W. ADAMS Ceramics: A report f rom the 1 965 Conference," American Antiquity

A PENDICE 1 . GENERALIDADES TIPOLOGICAS: HALLAZGOS MUNDO P ERDIDO Y GRUPO 6 C-XVI En base a l a nälisis de l os t iestos de l os depösitos problemäticos P NT-019 y PNT-031, p ueden extraerse a lgunas generalidades t ipolögicas que complementan l a i nformaciön obtenida para l a f ase Manik 2 de l os subcomplejos funerario y de escondites. Aunque de contexto distinto, l os depösitos p roblemgticos p ertenece asimismo a c ontextos r ituales del C läsico Temprano de Tikal, a l considerarse como hallazgos s ellados de f unciön e specffica aun no explicada en l os e studios de t ierra baja, pero que forma parte de una l arga t radiciön en e l g rea Maya que comienza desde tiempos Preclgsicos. Mediante l os s ubcomplejos considerados, puede f ormularse l a d iversidad t ipol6gica y e l c omportamiento cergmico p ara Manik 2 . En e ste anglisis f ueron considerados aquellos e studios c erämicos que han aportado considerable informaciön para l a c lasificaciön del material de t ierra baja como s on R . Smith ( 1955), R . Smith y G ifford ( 1966), Adams ( 1971), G ifford ( 1976), Ball ( 1977), S abloff ( 1975), Culbert ( 1979), y Forsyth ( 1983), a quienes c itaremos en l os casos m s concretos. E l anälisis de l as concentraciones c erämicas d el grupo 6C-XVI f ueron l levadas a cabo por Hermes ( 1984b). Las formas aparecen i lustradas en l as Figuras 1 6 a 2 0. Grupo Ceramic° Triunfo Los

materiales

c erämicos 1 67

no

engobados

e stan

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko

OLLAS.

FORMA 2

FORMA I

F ORMA

3

F ORMA 6

F ORMA

FORMA

F ORMA 9

F ig.

1 6.

Formas

de

FORMA 1 0

)

c erämica:

1 68

a lias.

0 e

8

I

2 3 c ow s . aMe

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

F ORMA 1 2

FORMA 1 3

F ORMA 1 5

0 FORMA

1

2

3

1 4

F ORMA 1 5

F ig.

1 7.

F ormas d e

c erämica:

cuencos,

p latos,

y f uentes.

r epresentados par e l " ware" Uaxactün S in Engobe, i ntegrado par e l grupo c erämico Triunfo, can l os t ipos Quintal S in Engobe, Triunfo E striado, Candelario Aplicado, Cubierta impreso, y Hoyo P unzonado. E l t ipo Quintal S in Engobe: variedad Quintal tiene p redominio dentro d el grupo c erämico Triunfo mediante o llas de c uello a lto y boca ancha, can borde reforzado y a canaladura en e l l abia ( forma 8 ), a sf c oma con cuellos medianos y en c uencos de l ados r ecto divergentes ( forma 1 69

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko 1 3); a l p resentar s oporte, s uelen s er c ilfndricos h uecos o d e base p edestal ( forma 4 1 y 4 5); hay a sas d e dos a poyos o z oomorfas ( forma 4 8 y 5 0). E ste t ipo s e p resenta en e l s ubcomplejo de e scondites y s u presumible abundancia en c ontextos de d epösitos p uede d eberse mäs b ien a p roblemas d e muestreo g enerados a l c onsiderar e xclusivamente b ordes y b ases. E l t ipo Triunfo E striado: variedad T riunfo no e s numeroso ( 1.22%) d ebido a l o c ircunscrito d e l a s elecciön d e l a muestra t omando bordes y b ases c omo e lemento c lasificatorio p rimario; a l r evisar l a muestra d e c uerpos s e s ucede un drästico c ambio a lcanzando e l 3 5% d el material, c on l a c onsiguiente r educcrön d el Quintal S in E ngobe. E n e l t ipo T riunfo E striado s on d ominantes l as o llas de cuello a lto, b oca a ncha, y b orde r eforzado; en o casiones e l borde puede s er o ndulado o i nciso ( forma 1 , 6 , 7 , y 8 ); a parece en f ormas de p icheles ( forma 2 7). No f ueron l ocalizados s oportes y a sas. E n a lgunos f ragmentos m uestra f ilete aplicado c on i mpresiön u ngulada y en o casiones, p equer ias aplicaciones. No f ue l ocalizado e n l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y d e e scondites; s e c onsidera e l t ipo mayoritario a n ivel domestico p ara e sta 6poca. L os t ipos C andelario Aplicado y C ubierta Impreso d el g rupo c erämico T riunfo, i ntegran un i mportante s ector del s ubcomplejo de i ncensarios. L as i mplicaciones r ituales d e l os i ncensarios c onducen a que, hasta e l momento, e stos no s e h ayan l ocalizado en l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y d e e scondites Manik 2 d e T ikal. F erree ( 1972:15) a clara que e s posible que en e ntierros r edepositados, l os i ncensarios f ueran i ncluidos e n a lguna c eremonia a sociada. Los i ncensarios de T ikal i ntegran un c omplejo e specffico q ue p ara e l C läsico Temprano s e c onoce c omo Kataan, c ompuesto p or d os s ubfases c uya d ivisiön c orresponde a l i nicio d e Manik 2 . E n l a muestra d e d epösitos p roblemäticos, e l t ipo C andelario Aplicado: v ariedad C andelario e sta representado s olamente e n e l d epösito p roblemätico P NT-019 a lcanzando un 4 .39% d el grupo T riunfo en i ncensarios de p aredes r ecto d ivergentes o t apaderas e n f orma d e c ampana a sf c omo e n v asijas c on f orma de t ecomates ( forma 2 2). N o hubo s oportes o a sas. E l t ipo Cubierta I mpreso: v ariedad Cubierta s e e ncontrö e scasamente e n ambas c oncentraciones; p ertenecen a l s ubcomplejo d e i ncensarios con f orma i ndeterminada y s e c onoce un c aso d e o lla de s ilueta c ompuesta ( forma 5 ); n o h ubo s oportes n i a sas. E ste t ipo ha s ido l ocalizado s olamente e n U axactün y T ikal. E l t ipo Hoyo Punzonado d el g rupo c erämico T riunfo no s e encontrö e n l a muestra.

1 70

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido Grupo C erämico Aguila E l " ware" P eten Lustroso ( glossy) e s e l conjunto dominante para l as c erämicas engobadas de l a z ona c entral del ärea Maya; i ncluye l os grupos cerämicos Aguila, B alanza, y Puctg; tambien un g rupo no e specificado i ntegrado por t ipos policromados. Forsyth ( 1983:66) aclara que o riginalmente l a cerämica de color naranja f ug s eparada en t res grupos distintos: uno de e llos, e l grupo cerämico Aguila, incluia a 1 os t ipos monöcromos; l os otros dos, Actuncän y Dos Arroyos, e staban compuestos por t ipos bfcromos y p olfcromos s obre un f ondo de color naranja ( R. Smith y Gifford 1 966:167-168). E ste e squema fug aplicado a l os materiales de B arton Ramie y Altar de S acrificios. Desde l a publicaciön del e studio cerämico de Mayapän, R . Smith ( 1971) p ropuso un a lineamiento distinto en que todos l os t ipos c on b ase n aranja, s ean mon6cromos o polfcromos, deben pertenecer a un solo conjunto, a l grupo c erämico Aguila. Forsyth ( 1983) r etoma e ste c oncepto para e l anälisis del material de Edznä, colocando en e ste grupo a l os bfcromos S an B las y B oleto, a sf como a l t ipo Dos Arroyos Naranja P olfcromo. S olamente l os policromados C aldero Ante y Y aloche Crema quedaron f ormando un g rupo c erämico no e specificado. E l grupo c erämico Aquila f irg e l m s abundante en e l material de l os d epösitos problemäticos d iscutidos, i ntegrando un 4 8.39% del material en ambas concentraciones. E s un g rupo cerämico f uertemente r epresentado en l os s ubcomplejos funerario y de e scondites, aunque no mediante t odos l os t ipos q ue l e i ntegran, p ues esta c ircunscrito a l Aguila Rojo-naranja. Ademäs de e ste, e l grupo c erämico Aguila i ncluye l a variedad Rojo Mate y l os t ipos P ita I nciso y S an C lemente Gubiado-Inciso; s e formula un t ipo no d esignado Naranja E striado, y se c onsideran l os t ipos Dos Arroyos Naranja Polfcromo, S an B las Rojo-sobre-naranja, B oleto Negro-sobre-naranja. E l t ipo Aguila Rojo-naranja: variedad Aguila a lcanza a ltas f recuencias de 6 3% dentro de s u grupo cerämico. E s a bundante en toda l a z ona c entral del ärea Maya a excepciön d e Barton Ramie, en donde p arece estar s ustituido por e l g rupo cerämico M inanha ( Gifford 1 976:157); hacia l a parte t erminal d el C läsico Temprano adquiere una tonalidad mäs r ojiza, aunque en Tikal esta s ituaciön no e s aün tan e vidente c omo en e l caso de Becän y su variedad F lamboyän ( Ball 1 977:41). Las formas ms u suales en e ste t ipo son cuencos con l ados r edondeados, f uentes de b ase cöncava y l ados r ectos y f uentes de l ados recto divergentes ( forma 1 6, 1 4, y 1 3), a sf como en menor cantidad, f uentes de pesta l ia basal, p latos con l ados rectos y en a lgunas ocasiones, f uentes con ä ngulo-Z ( forma 1 5, 1 8, y 1 2); e s r elativamente abundante 1 71

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko

FORMA

FORMA

1 6

1 7

0 1 2 3 e ms . r e a e e

F ig.

1 8.

Formas

de

c ergmica:

cuencos,

p latos,

y f uentes.

en o llas de cuello medio y boca e strecha; en c aso de p resentar s oportes e stos s on c ilindricos h uecos, c 6nico t runcados huecos, o s ölidos y de botön ( forma 4 1, 3 8, 4 0). E l Aguila Rojo-naranja: v ariedad Rojo M ate f ue e stablecido par Culbert en e l material de T ikal ( 1979: M-25) y no ha s ido reportado en otros s itios; s us a tributos principales son l a superficie s in pul .ir o poco p ulida, 1 72

C ergMica d el C lgsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

F ORMA

2 0

FORMA

2 2

0 1 2 3 1 2 i ie n t .

FORMA 2 8

F ORMA 2 7

F ig.

1 9.

Formas de

c erämica:

cuencos,

p latos,

y f uentes.

observandose l as partfculas d el desgrasante, s iendo e l engobe de color rojo mas intenso que e l de l a variedad Aguila. E s una variedad menor que a lcanza e l 1 .89% dentro d e su grupo en l as concentraciones de material analizadas; s us formas s e encuentran r educidas a f uentes c on base

1 73

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko cöncava y l ados r ectos, p icheles, y o llas d e cuello medio y b oca e strecha ( forma 1 4, 2 7, y 2 ). N o s e l e l ocalizan s oportes o a sas. E s posible que l os cuencos d e paredes c urvo-convergentes d el e scondite P NT-001 pertenezcan a e sta v ariedad. E l t ipo P ita I nciso: variedad P ita a lcanza 1 .25% d entro d e s u g rupo; aparece en f ormas de c uencos de l ados r edondeados, p latos c on borde evertido, y f uentes c on p estar ia b asal ( forma 1 6, 2 0, y 1 5), a s c omo en o llas d e c uello media y b oca e strecha ( forma 2 ); no hay s oportes o a sas. Aparentemente p uede a signarse a l a p arte t erminal d e Manik 2 o p lenamente a sociado a l a f ase t ardfa d el h orizonte T zakol, s iendo e ntonces p arte d el s ubcomplejo f unerario a l p resentarse e n c ilindros trfpodes c on t apadera; e s un t ipo p aralelo a l L ucha I nciso d el g rupo B alanza. S an C lemente G ubiado-inciso e s o tro t ipo d el grupo c erämico Aguila q ue p ertenece a l a f ase t ardfa del c omplejo o Manik 3 -A, s iendo p aralelo a l U rita Gubiado-inciso del g rupo B alanza, posiblemente e l t ipo r esulte p or d iferencias d e cocciön; f orma p arte del s ubcomplejo f unerario. Dentro de s u g rupo a lcanza u na f recuencia d e m enos de 1 %. En e l material d e l os dep6sitos e n r eferencia, H ermes ( 1984c) p ropone u n t ipo no d esignado Naranja E striado: v ariedad n o e specificada i ntegrante d el g rupo c eramico Aguila ( forma 1 .81%), en f orma d e o llas de cuello a lto y b oca ancha ( forma 1 ), e n e l d epösito PNT-031, por l o que p uede a signarse a l a parte t erminal d e l a f ase Manik 2 ; s e c aracteriza p or t ener e l cuerpo c ubierto por engobe n aranja h asta l a p arte i nferior d el c uello, e l c ual no p resenta e ngobe y e ste d ecorado mediante e strfas. P uede t ener una r elaciön modal c on e l t ipo Milpa I mpreso, e l c ual p resenta e ngobe r ojo e impresiones ( R. Smith y G ifford 1 966:171; C ulbert 1 979:M-29). E l t ipo Dos Arroyos Naranja P olfcromo: variedad Dos Arroyos e s e l p olicromado mayoritario e n l os materiales de ambas concentraciones; a lcanza 2 1% d el grupo c erämico Aguila, s iendo a sf e l s egundo en r epresentatividad. A l c onsiderar s olamente e l material policromado a lcanza u n 4 0% d e d icho c onjunto. E sta s ituaciön e s g eneralizada e n l as t ierras bajas c entrales y no p arece variar durante l as f ases d el C läsico T emprano. S e presenta mayoritariamente e n f uentes con l ados r edondeados y c on p estar ia b asal ( forma 1 6 y 1 5), a s como e n p latos d e b orde evertido y c uencos arrir ionados; de manera m inoritaria s e l ocaliza en o llas d e c uello c orto y p aredes delgadas y o llas de c uello media y boca e strecha ( forma 1 0 y 1 2). L os s oportes p rincipales s on c ilfndricos huecos ( forma 4 4). S e h an l ocalizado e jemplares con vertedera a bierta y c errada, a sf c omo a sas de d os apoyos y 1 74

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido

F ORMA

2 9

0

I

2

3 c ms .

TAPADERAS

F ORMA

3 2

F ORMA

33 .

F ORMA 3 5

4 F ORMA 3

F ig. 2 0. t apaderas.

Formas

de

cerämica:

1 75

vasijas

c ilindricas

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko antropomorfas. S iendo Dos Arroyos un tipo d e amplia distribuciön r esulta importante su ausencia en l os subcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites en Mundo P erdido; pocas r eferencias s e documenten p ara su p resencia d entro d e esos c ontextos en otros s itios, s alvo U axacten; aparentemente e sta s ituaciön s er a explicable s i l a presencia d e l os t ipos policromados mayoritarios C aldero Ante y Y aloche C rema, f uera e xcluyente de Dos Arroyos en l os subcomplejos c onsiderados. E stos tipos t ienen e l i nterior d e color n aranja pudiendo f ormar parte asimismo d el g rupo c erämico Aguila y s er p aralelos a Dos Arroyos, con mayor d etalle d ecorativo y t gcnicas de policromfa q ue a nulan e l color naranja en e l exterior, como fuera i ndicado originalmente ( R. Smith y G ifford 1 966). S in embargo, e s notable q ue l os t ipos policromados Caldero Ante y Yaloche Crema, de marcada a filiaci6n a l subcomplejo funerario, t ambien e sten p resentes en d epösitos problemäticos e n p roporciön a preciable. Dentro de l os t ipos bfcromos del grupo C ergmico Aguila, e l S an B las Rojo-sobre-naranja: variedad S an B las e s de caräcter mayoritario con 1 7.31% dentro del grupo en e l d epösito p roblemätico PNT-019; s in embargo, e s poco f recuente dentro de l a muestra del depösito problemätico PNT-031, con 4 .02%, l o cual r efleja l a posiciön de S an B las en l a s ecuencia t ipolögica, como e l b fcromo utilizado e n l a parte t emprana de Manik 2 . No s e c onoce otra informaciön de e ste t ipo en T ikal; e s importante mencionar que no f orma p arte de l os subcomplejos f unerario o de e scondites, caso s emejante a l polfcromo Dos Arroyos. No s e l e menciona en l as s ecuencias de S eibal, A ltar de S acrificios, y B arton Ramie. Dentro de l os materiales bfcromos y policromos, S an B las s igue en representatividad a D os Arroyos y s upera ampliamente a Caldero Ante, tercero e n p roporciön. S e l e l ocaliza mayoritariamente en cuencos d e l ados r edondeados y c uencos arrir ionados ( forma 1 6 y 1 9); e n menor cantidad en p icheles y p latos o f uentes de l ados r ecto -divergentes ( forma 2 7 y 1 3), tambign en a lias de cuello medio y boca e strecha, y o llas de cuello c orto y p aredes d elgadas ( forma 2 y 1 0). No f ueron l ocalizados s oportes o asas. E l otro t ipo bfcromo del grupo c erämico Aguila e s B oleto Negro-sobre-naranja: variedad Boleto; a lcanza e scasos 0 .45% del material de e se grupo; l o m ismo s ucede dentro de l os materiales policromados e n donde tiene 1 %. No s e l e c onoce en l os s ubcomplejos f unerarios y de e scondites. P resente en fuentes de p estar ia b asal ( forma 1 5) y o lla de cuello a lto y boca ancha; no s e l e c onocen s oportes o a sas. Fug definido en Barton Ramie como p arte del grupo Actuncän por su d ecoracrön g eomgtrica ( Gifford 1 976:173); no s e l o menciona en T ikal, S eibal, o Becän. 1 76

C ergmica d el C lasico T emprano d esde M ündo P erdido Grupo Cergmico Balanza E l otro conjunto mayoritario d el " ware" P et en Lustroso e s e l grupo c ergmico B alanza, q ue e ngloba a l 2 2.55% d el material d el d epösito problemgtico PNT-019 y a l 1 5.83% en e l d epösito p roblemgtico P NT-031. E ste g rupo f orma p arte d e l os subcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites, mediante l a p resencia d e s us t ipos c omponentes, B alanza N egro, L ucha I nciso, U rita G ubiado-inciso, D elirio P lano-relieve, P aradero Acanalado, Maroma I mpreso, y D iscordia N egro, e n l a s ecuencia del C lgsico Temprano, enfatizandose h acia l a p arte t erminal. S iendo u n g rupo c ergmico p aralelo a l Aquila, c arece de t ipos bfcromos y p olicromos debido a l a c oloraciön d el e ngobe; s in embargo, r esulta notable l a aplicaciön de t gcnicas d ecorativas i ncisas, e sgrafiadas, y d e r elieve e fectuadas s obre l a s uperficie de l as vasijas, c ompensando a s l a d iversidad decorativa d e otros g rupos mayores q ue i ncluyen t ipos p olicromos. E l t ipo Balanza N egro: variedad B alanza a lcanza un 8 0% d entro de s u g rupo en l os materiales de l os d epösitos c onsiderados. S e presenta en una amplia d iversidad de f ormas, p redominando l os p latos de b orde e vertido, c uencos c on l ados r edondeados, y p latos c on l ados c urvo-divergentes ( forma 2 0, 1 7, y 1 6); en menor c antidad en f uentes c on p estar ia b asal, c uencos de b ase c öncava y l ados r ectos, y p latos de p aredes r ecto divergentes ( forma 1 4, 1 3, y 1 5). A bundan l as o llas d e cuello medio y boca e strecha, a lgunos c asos de vasijas e ffgie ( forma 2 y 4 ); s on u suales l os s oportes p redominando e l c ilfndrico hueco, cönico t runcado, b otön, y a lgunos s oportes z oomorfos; h ay un e jemplar d e s oporte r ectangular s ölido, vertederas de t ipo a bierto, a sas de d os a poyos, y h ay un c aso a ntropomorfa. Lucha I nciso: variedad Lucha, c on 2 1.68% d e s u g rupo e n e l d epösito p roblemgtico P NT-019 y 1 0.96% e n e l d epösito p roblef f igtico P NT-031, e s e l s egundo t ipo mgs r epresentativo d el grupo c ergmico B alanza; e sta d iferencia porcentual r esulta i nexplicable debido a que e sta t radiciön i ncisa p rosigue abundantemente hacia Manik 3 -A. L a f orma m ayoritaria e s e l cuenco de l ados r edondeados ( forma 1 6); i ncluye f uentes c on p esta l ia b asal, p latos de p aredes r ecto d ivergentes ( forma 1 5 y 1 3), p latos c on borde evertido; no s e documentaron o llas, s oportes, a sas, o v ertederas. L a f orma d e c ilindro t rfpode f ue p ercibida en a lgunos f ragmentos de c uerpos de manera m inoritaria. E l t ipo U rita Gubiado-inciso: variedad U rita t iene una b aja r epresentaciön de 1 .90% dentro d el g rupo B alanza en ambas c oncentraciones; s e presenta mayoritariamente en f uentes c on p estar ia b asal ( forma 1 5) y c uencos de l ados r edondeados; n o s e c onocieron s oportes o a sas; p or l a

1 77

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko posiciön cronolögica de l os hallazgos en Manik 2 s olamente dos f ragmentos de c uerpos r epresentan c ilindros t ripodes. Por varios f ragmentos que r epresentaron un solo e jemplar de vasija e ffgie del depösito problematic° P NT-019 y varios cuerpos correspondientes a cuencos de l ados r edondeados f ue documentado e l t ipo Maroma I mpreso: variedad Maroma. Del t ipo Paradero Acanalado: variedad P aradero, f ueron l ocalizados nueve f ragmentos de c uerpos que r epresentan vasijas c ilfndricas procedentes del d epösito p roblemätico PNT-019. De l os tipos i ntegrantes del grupo Balanza no f ue detectado D elirio P lano-relieve; v arios de e stos t ipos s on considerados importantes p ara l a parte tardfa del horizonte T zakol. Dentro d el subcomplejo funerario de gpoca Manik 2 en Mundo Perdido s e documentaron dos p icheles asignados a l t ipo Discordia Negro: variedad D iscordia. E ste t ipo f ug e stablecido en Uaxactün ( R. Smith y G ifford 1 966:171) como p erteneciente a l " ware" Negro Delgado. Culbert ( 1979:M-34) l o rechazö para l os materiales de T ikal por haber s ido d efinido mediante r asgos de p aredes d elgadas y l a presencia d e f ormas de pichel, considerando que s e trata de e jemplares d el grupo cergmico B alanza. Hemos retomado e l t ipo D iscordia n o como i ntegrante de un " ware" Negro Delgado, s ino c omo u n t ipo e specffico del grupo c ergmico Balanza suficientemente d iferenciado e n base a e l interior y s ectores del exterior, m ientras que en l a p arte restante puede mostrar i ndicios de brochado. B all ( 1977:34) para l os e jemplares de B ecän, a clara q ue e l d esgrasante e s d e calcita cristalina f ina y que el g rosor de l as paredes e s de e scasos 0 .2 cm, documentando formas de p icheles con vertedera y base pedestal, adscritos a Chacsik t emprano, r elacionada a l a f ase media d el horizonte T zakol. En Mayapän s e r eportan adscritos a l t ipo Catzim I nciso. Grupo C eramic° Puctg E l grupo c eramico Puctg e s minoritario dentro de l as c erämicas engobadas a lcanzando un p romedio d el 4 % de l a muestra. I ncluye l os t ipos Pucte C afe, S anta Teresa I nciso, Chorro Acanalado, y un nuevo t ipo Aplicado Impreso. En Becgn, Ball ( 1977:24) considera que e ste grupo hace s u apariciön hasta l a f ase t ardfa del C lgsico T emprano, e s decir en Sabucgn. Aparece representado e n l os s ubcomplejos f unerario y de e scondites. E l t ipo Puctg Cafg: variedad Puctg e s e l mayoritario ( 75%) del g rupo c ergmico; l as f ormas predominantes s on cuencos c on paredes r edondeadas, p latos c on borde evertido, y p latos c on p aredes r ecto -divergentes ( forma 1 6, 1 5, y 1 7); no s e conocieron soportes o a sas. No aparece mencionado en e l anälisis de Culbert para T ikal, ni en l os materiales de S eibal, Becän, y A ltar de S acrificios, 1 78

C erämica d el C läsico T emprano d esde M undo P erdido habiendo

sido definido en Barton Ramie.

E n l a muestra d el depösito problemätico PNT-019, e l t ipo Chorro Acanalado: variedad Chorro e stä representado por un 4 .66% dentro de su grupo c ergmico exclusivamente en p latos de paredes r ecto divergentes ( Forma 1 3); no s e c onocieron a sas o s oportes. E l tipo indeterminado Aplicado Impreso: variedad no e specificado f ug e stablecido p or H ermes ( 1984c); s e caracteriza por l os atributos de Pucte Ca r e pero con aplicaciones c irculares en e l s ector medio del c uerpo e impresiön s obre l a aplicaciön. E ste t ipo, en l a muestra del depösito problemätico PNT-019, e stä reprsentado por c inco bordes de c uencos de l ados redondeados ( forma 1 6), e s decir el 2 .58% d entro del grupo cerämico P uctg, r eforzado por n ueve c uerpos d el mismo contexto; no s e conocieron a sas o s oportes. Grupo Cerämico Polfcromo No E specificado Otro i ntegrante del " ware" P etgn Lustroso e s e l grupo cerämico P olfcromo No E specificado, a l cual s e han agrupado diversos t ipos que t ienen fondo de color ante, c rema, naranja, o g ris, y que a l momento no s e han podido i nclufr en grupos c ergmicos definidos. Los t ipos que integran e l grupo a lcanzan u n p romedio de 7 .27% d entro de l a muestra general de l os d epösitos problemäticos PNT-019 y PNT-031, s iendo p or l o tanto e l c uarto grupo en representatividad. Consiste de l os t ipos policromados Caldero Ante, Yaloche Crema, Moc Naranja, y D os Aguadas Gris, a si c omo del bfcromo S an Bartolo Rojo-sobre-ante y un t ipo i ndeterminado Rojo-sobre-ante I nciso Aplicado. E l t ipo Caldero Ante P olfcromo: variedad Caldero, d entro del agrupamiento a l que s e ha a signado, representa e l 6 9% d el material en ambas c oncentraciones. L as f ormas mayoritarias corresponden a l cuencos de l ados r edondeados y f uentes con pestar ia basal, l as que u sualmente estan c ubiertas c on t apaderas c öncavas ( forma 1 6 y 1 5); minoritariamente en cuencos arril ionados y p latos c on borde evertido ( forma 1 9 y 2 0); f ug l ocalizado un s oporte h emisfgrico hueco y un a sa antropomorfa. Culbert en e l material de Tikal c oncede que e ste t ipo e s i dgntico a l Dos Arroyos Naranja P olfcromo en todos sus rasgos, salvo en e l c olor b ase exterior, e l c ual varfa desde un c afe muy pälido a un t ono rosäceo; R . Smith y G ifford ( 1966) l o han a signado a l g rupo cerämico Dos Arroyos, actualmente parte d el grupo cerämico Aguila. Forma parte del s ubcomplejo f unerario. Con una f recuencia del 1 5% dentro del grupo de p olicromados no e specificados de ambas c oncentraciones, s e e ncuentra e l t ipo Yaloche Crema Polrcromo: variedad Y aloche, en f ormas de fuentes c on pesta a basal, 1 79

J .P . L aporte y V . F ialko g eneralmente c ubiertas p or t apaderas c öncavas ( forma 1 5), p icheles, c uencos d e l ados r edondeados, y p latos c on b orde evertido ( forma 2 7, 1 6, y 2 0); s e c onocen cuatro casos de b ase p edestal y un s oporte c önico t runcado; no f ueron l ocalizadas a sas. E l t ipo s e d istingue p or e l engobe c olor c rema c on d ise ns en rojo y n egro e n e l e xterior y n aranja en e l i nterior; s e c onsidera d ificil s u d iferenciaciön d el C aldero Ante P olfcromo p or l a v ariaciön d el c olor b ase c afe c laro a b lanco, p or l o q ue Yaloche Crema es a signable s olamente a e jemplares c on l a s uperficie b ien c onservada. Un c aso c oncreto puede s er l a v ariaciön cromätica d el e ngobe a plicado a l p lato y t apadera de l a v asija PNT-180 d el entierro P NT-062 que d e no h aber c onformado u n mismo e jemplar podrfan haberse a signado a d istintos t ipos. Moc N aranja Polfcromo: v ariedad Moc f ug e stablecido en T ikal para e jemplares a ltamente p ulidos de c olor b ase n aranja brillante s obre e l c ual s e a plican d iser ios en rojo n egro ( Culbert 1 979:M-33). D entro d el g rupo d e p olicromos no e specificados e stä r epresentado en u n 6 .70% en ambas c oncentraciones; s e a socia c on f uentes d e pestar ia b asal ( forma 1 5); n o s e l ocalizaron s oportes o a sas. No s e h a r eportado en otros s itios y no f orma p arte d 21 s ubcomplejo f unerario e n Mundo P erdido. Otro t ipo policromado q ue n o f orma p arte d el s ubcomplejo f unerario en Mundo P erdido e s e l Dos Aguadas G ris P ol icromo: v ariedad D os Aguadas, que aparece r epresentado en e l depösito p roblemätico PNT-019 integrando un 7 .45% d el g rupo p olicromado no e specificado, en f ormas d e f uentes c on p estar ia b asal, c uencos con l ados r edondeados, a lias de c uello medio y b oca e strecha, y o llas d e c uello c orto y p aredes d elgadas ( forma 1 5, 1 6, 2 , y 1 0); n o s e l e c onocieron s oportes o a sas. F ug e stablecido e n U axactün y pudiera r elacionarse c on e l t ipo S ambula Negros obre-gris d e B ecän. S an B artolo Rojo-sobre-ante: v ariedad S an Bartolo no s e h a l ocalizado en o tros s itios, s alvo T ikal y U axact 6n, d onde f uera e stablecido; no s e l e a signa una d istribuciön t emporal e specfica n i f orma p arte d el s ubcomplejo f unerario e n M undo P erdido. E n n uestra muestra a lcanza una r epresentatividad de 7 .45% d el g rupo policromado n o e specificado d el d epösito p roblemätico PNT-019, en f orma de c uencos c on l ados r edondeados y p icheles; no s e l e c onocen s oportes o a sas. H ermes ( 1984c) e stableciö un t ipo I ndeterminado Rojos obre-ante I nciso Aplicado: variedad n o e specificada, para e jemplares c on una banda r oja s obre e l l abio y una s erie de i ncisiones i nclinadas y c ruzadas en e l e xterior, a s c omo a plicaciones c irculares y punzonadas e n l a z ona de uniön d el c uerpo y c uello, t odo e llo cubierto p or un b a n o 1 80

C erämica d el C läsico T emp erano d esde M undo P erdido engobe delgado de color ante. S olamente s e encuentra en l os materiales del d epösito problemätico PNT-031 c on 1 .40% dentro del grupo de p olicromados no e specificados, en f orma de a lias de cuello corto y paredes delgadas ( forma 1 0); puede estar relacionado a l t ipo S an Bartolo Rojo-sobreante. Otros

Grupos Cerämicos

E l "ware" Naranja Delgado, de c lara f iliaciön foränea, aparece representado debilmente ( 0.30%) en e l material de l as concentraciones analizadas; en e l d epösito problef f iätico PNT-019 se c onocieron s olamente t res c uerpos s in decoraci f t del t ipo Ratones Naranja y en e l depbsito problemgtico PNT0 31 se recuperaron t res bordes de c uencos c on p aredes c urvo-divergentes ( forma 1 7) del t ipo Competencia I nciso: variedad Competencia. E stos materiales s e a socian durante l a fase Manik 3 -A a l s ubcomplejo f unerario, por l o que en l os entierros y e scondites de Mundo P erdido d urante Manik 2 n o s e documentan. Varios t ipos d etectados en l a s ecuencia t ipol6gica del C läsico Temprano en Tikal no f ueron e ncontrados en l a muestra de bordes d e l os depösitos problemäticos del grupo 6 C-XVI, aunque pueden estar i ncluidos en f ragmentos de c uerpos. P or t ratarse de un t ipo r epresentativo de l a f ase Manik 1 no f ug l ocalizado e l t ipo Dos H ermanos Rojo, mientras que por s er ms c aracterfsticos de l a f ase tardfa o Manik 3 , no s e detectaron l os t ipos Maaz Rojo E striado, F ama Ante, Batellos Negro-sobre-rojo, y Japon Resist. De l os tipos e stablecidos p or Culbert p ara Tikal, e l Cochol N aranja P ol rcromo no apareci6 representado en n inguno de l os contextos t rabajados. Dentro del i nventario cerämico de l a f ase Manik 2 , f ormando p arte d el subcomplejo f unerario e i nclufdas en d epösitos p roblef f iäticos, l as vasijas miniatura s e adec San a l a c lasificaciön t ipolögica de t iestos y vasijas c opletas, p redominando l as o llas, cuencos, vasos, y picheles, asf c oma vasijas z oomorfas, s iendo e laboradas en l os grupos c erämicos Aquila: t ipos Aguila Rojo-naranja, Pita I nciso, y D os Arroyos Naranja Policromo; grupo Balanza: t ipos Balanza Negro, L ucha I nciso, y D iscordia; grupo Puctg: t ipos Puctg C afe y S anta Teresa I nciso.

1 81

9 L iv ing o n t he E dge : T he C eram ic S equence o f P iedras Negras , Gua tema la G eorge R . H olley

Recent r esearch i n the Maya l owlands has been c haracterized by i ncreased i nterest in regional p olitical and economic i ntegration ( Marcus 1 976, 1 983; Ashmore 1 981; Adams and Jones 1 981), a s ubject that has primarily l acked i nput from c eramic data. The following explanatory s ketch r epresents a n a ttempt to i ncorporate c eramic data i nto t his research i n conjunction with the gateway model d eveloped in e conomic g eography ( Burghardt 1 971). This model postulates that gateway c ities develop a t a border b etween a n expanding c ultural s ystem and a frontier. I t i s argued that P iedras Negras, Guatemala ( Figs. 1 and 2 ), a C lassic Maya c enter on the U sumacinta R iver, was at one t ime in i ts h istory a gateway c ity f or the t ransmission o f P eten-based political a nd e conomic i nfluence i nto t he n orthwestern l owlands.

THE GATEWAY C ITY MODEL The g ateway c ity model, a s proposed i n e conomic g eography ( Burghardt 1 971), has been s uccessfully applied t o prehistoric c ommunities i n Mesoamerica ( Hirth 1 978) and h as been s uggested a s a possible explanation f or border p henomena in t he Maya a rea ( Ball 1 980). P iedras Negras d oes possess s ome o f t he b asic characteristics o f a g ateway community, a s defined by Burghardt ( 1971): 1 ) P iedras Negras i s l ocated on a major r oute o f t ransportation ( the U sumacinta R iver); 2 ) I t i s l ocated n ear a major physiographic d ivision ( the U sumacinta f lood p lain); 3 ) P iedras Negras i s l ocated near a c ultural b order, s eparating t he P eten-influenced e ast f rom t he n orthwest periphery; and 4 ) P iedras Negras experienced a r apid g rowth, s uggestive o f a boom town, i n the Early C lassic p eriod. However,

c ategorizing

P iedras 1 83

N egras

a s

a gateway

George R . H olley

F ig.

1 .

Map of

the Maya

area.

1 84

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras

T eco lpan Nueva

Esperanza a lenque

Po mona

•

Ch in ikiha •Yox iha

P iedras N egras

F ig.

2 .

Map

o f

t he

northwestern

d rainage.

1 85

l owlands

and

U sumacinta

G eorge R . H olley c ity i s a s terile e xercise i n t ypology i f t he dyamic h istory o f s uch c enters a re i gnored. T he developmental s cenario f or g ateway c enters p roposed b y Burghardt ( 1971) i s a s f ollows: Gateways a re f ormed a t t he e dge o f a moving f rontier. A s the f ront p asses t he gateway c ity, n ew g ateways a re f ormed f arther o ut i n t he f rontier, l eaving t he o ld g ateway c ity t o e ither develop i nto a c entral p lace o r decline. T he c oncepts o f a moving f rontier a nd central p lace a re c ritical t o t he g ateway model a nd a re well u nderstood i n Maya l owland a rchaeology. F irst, t he concept o f a n e xpanding f rontier, emanating f rom t he P eten core to t he f rontier, a ppears s ubstantiated b y t he down-the-line a ppearance o f P eten-based t raits. S econd, t here i s a c onsensus among r esearchers t hat t he d istribution a nd h ierarchical a rrangement o f C lassic Maya c enters a pproximates t he c riteria o f t he c entral place model ( Hammond 1 974; M arcus 1 976). G ateways a re c onnected to the f rontier in a d endritic p attern, with f rontier s ettlements o riented to the g ateway c ity b ut n ot n ecessarily t o e ach o ther ( Hirth 1 978:373 8). G ateway c ities a re t he c onduit between the e stablished c ultural a nd e conomic o rder a nd the f rontier. T his d iffers f rom t he c entral p lace pattern, w herein a c entral p lace i s l inked i n a d endritic network within the l ocal o rbit a nd a lso i nteracts h orizontally with other c entral p laces. Material c orrelates b ridging a rchaeological d ata with t he g eographic g ateway model a re n ot f ormalized. The g ateway c ity model l acks t he i ntegration o f s tyle o r c ulture, which c an a id i n i dentifying the s ocial r elationships b etween t he c ultural c ore, t he g ateway c ity, and t he f rontier. I h ave c ulled information f rom P iedras N egras a nd t he n orthwestern l owlands ( Fig. 2 ), b ased p rimarily o n c eramic m aterials collected by Robert L . R ands i n t he P alenque R egion C eramic S urvey Project, to c onstruct a model that c orresponds i n g eneral terms w ith t he d evelopmental s cenario f or t he g ateway c ity. The model i s a s f ollows: 1 .) B ecause gateways a re n ew s ettlements o r s ettlements evolving i nto a n ew e conomic l evel, it f ollows t hat t hese c enters s hould b e d ependent upon the o lder c enters f or knowledge a nd i nnovation whether in t he f orm o f d iffusion o r d irect importation. I t i s e xpected t hat the c eramic a ssemblage a nd o ther s tylistic media should be i mitative o f the c ore s tandards. 2 .) G ateway c ities s hould i n t urn e xport t heir i deas, t ranslated f rom the o lder c ities, t o t he f rontier. T his i s p resumed to f ollow the d endritic n etwork o f information a nd g oods t ransferral. 1 86

C eram ic S equence o f P iedras N egras 3 . ) A s n ew g ateways a re s pawned on the f rontier, r epeating t he f irst two s tages, t he f ormer g ateway c an e ither develop i nto a c entral p lace or r etrogress i nto a smaller, l ess i mportant c enter. I f t he c ourse o f evolution i s toward a c entral p lace there s hould b e a marked i ncrease i n t he s ize and d iversity o f the c enter, u shering i n a p otential f or an e laboration o f s tyles. I n e ssence, t he c enter b ecomes i nnovative and d ependent to a g reater extent o n t he n etwork o f s maller c ommunities i n t he l ocal o rbit and w ith other c entral p laces. The c eramic l inkages t o t he g ateway model i nvolve t he i dentification o f t he s patial d imensions o f t echnological and s tylistic t raditions and t he p resence o f imported p ottery. At p resent t he i nterpretation o f s patial r elationships b etween and w ithin s tylistic t raditions i s b ased on t he c eramic s phere c oncept ( Willey, Culbert, a nd Adams 1 967). S ites s haring a major proportion o f t ypes a nd modes a re a ssumed t o b e p articipating i n the s ame c eramic s phere a nd p robably i nteracting t o s ome d egree. T ype and modal c omparisons a re u sed i n this r esearch a s a b arometer o f possible c ontact. Q uantification o f c eramic i nteraction r emains p oorly d eveloped i n Maya r esearch. The i dentification o f imported p ottery, on t he o ther h and, i s more e xplicit. A lthough d efinite s tatements a re n ot possible a t t he p resent f or P iedras N egras, a p rovisional a ssessment i s p ossible ( Holley 1 983). P ottery p resumed t o b e i mported w as i dentified by two c riteria: p aste color a nd t emper o r i nclusions. On t he b asis o f the c riterion o f a bundance ( Bishop, R ands, and H olley 1 982:301), l ocal pottery was d istinguished a s t hat t empered w ith c rushed c arbonate r ock and a p ink t o r ed p aste color. M ore t han 9 0% o f the pottery r ecovered f rom P iedras N egras f it t hese c riteria. N on-local p ottery was i dentified b y a sh, m ica, o r s and i nclusions, and f ine p aste. C arbonate t emper may a lso o ccur w ith s ome o f t hese c ategories. P aste c olors a re d iverse but primarily y ellow o r brown a nd n ot t he l ocal ( i.e., r ed o r p ink) P iedras N egras c olor r ange. E xotic p astes a re a ssociated with t ypes and modes t hat m ay be e ither f oreign or s imilar to P iedras N egras s tandards. The r elative f requency o f imported pottery i s a ssumed t o be a b arometer o f c ontacts s pecified i n the g ateway m odel. I n t he f irst s tage, imported o r imitated p ottery p resumably d erives f rom t he c ultural c ore a nd i s e xported t o the f rontier i n the s econd s tage. F or t he t hird s tage, i mported p ottery s hould d erive f rom t he l ocal orbit and d iverse s ources a s a c entral p lace f unction i s a ttained.

P IEDRAS NEGRAS AS A BORDER Critical

i n

t he

f ormation 1 87

o f

a gateway c ity

i s

the

G eorge R . H olley p resence o f a physiographic a s well a s a c ultural border. When c onsidered within an a rray o f cultural traits that originate in P eten, P iedras Negras i s t he n orthwesternmost c enter to d isplay s trong a ffinities with the Peten core. P iedras Negras i s a lso the l ast c enter on the U sumacinta R iver to participate f ully in the s telae cult, p erhaps to an extent that might be c onstrued as a berrant. Furthermore, i n c ontrast t o t he e ast ( Adams a nd Jones 1 981), northwestern c enters ( Piedras Negras, P alenque, Tonina, and C omalcalco) a re widely spaced, suggesting a f rontier s ituation. I n s pite o f t hese differences, these major c enters a re conversant with the Maya hieroglyphic and c alendrical system and are c onsidered part o f the s outhern Maya l owlands. The c eramic d ata, h owever, provide the best evidence o f a cultural border. I n c eramic t erms, the major t rends at P iedras N egras are approximated by a P eten-based C lassic s equence ( Smith 1 955). This template cannot be uniformly applied t o s ites f arther northwest, s uggesting that P iedras Negras l ies at t he border between t he P eten-influenced east a nd the s tylistically d ivergent northwestern l owlands ( Rands 1 969). There are f ew c eramic type c orrespondences b etween P iedras Negras and the northwest; d ifferences e xist at many l evels o f c eramic production. The f ollowing t raits d istinguish P iedras Negras, and to s ome extent Peten f rom t he northwestern l owlands ( see Rands, this volume, f or an exposition o f t he northwestern l owland material). 1 .) Paste d iversity. I n c ontrast to the s ingular emphasis on c arbonate temper at P iedras Negras, most n orthwestern s ites d isplay a greater r ange o f p aste r ecipes, which c annot a lways be a ttributed to exchange. 2 .) Relative thickness o f the v essel wall. U nlike P iedras Negras, where there i s a d ichotomy between t hin walled serving ware and t hick walled utility w are, northwestern potters d id n ot uniformly o bserve t his C lassic Maya d ichotomy. Typically, there i s an apparent b lending o f s hapes between t he s erving ware and utility ware. Furthermore, most vessels m anufactured i n t he northwest a re u sually thinner w alled t han t hose manufactured at P iedras Negras. 3 .) Jar morphology. P iedras N egras j ars, b oth s lipped and unslipped, are decidedly l onger necked t han most e xamples f rom t he northwest. J ars w ith the s ame morphology a s those o f t he northwest, t hat i s, a shorter n eck r elative to t he o rifice diameter, occur at Piedras Negras during the Late C lassic o nly a s i mports o r imitations o f northwestern s tandards ( Fig. 4 1). 4 .) Basin e laboration. At P iedras Negras utility basins are g enerally o f a s imple s hape, r ounded to i ncurved, with t hickened but unelaborated r ims. I n t he 1 88

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras northwest, e laborations

shouldered s hapes appear o f the basin r im ( Rands 1 969:

a s F ig.

well 1 1-13).

a s

5 .) S triated j ars. S triated j ars are ubiquitous at Piedras Negras but e ssentially absent to uncommon at s ites in t he Palenque environs. S ites c loser to P iedras Negras, such as Chinikiha a nd Yoxiha, participate in the s triation tradition, a s do the U sumacinta s ites o f T rinidad and Jonuta-Tecolpan. A s d iscussed l ater, t hese s ites a nd regions are a lso marked by an Early C lassic o ccupation. 6 .) S urface t reatment. P iedras Negras i s f irmly ensconced i n the C lassic Maya tradition o f s lipping, priming, a nd polychrome painting. A lthough weathering of s herds i s pronounced a t Palenque, i t i s c lear that this s lipping t radition was n ever a s ignificant component of the ceramic craft ( Rands 1 974). I n c ontrast, s ites c loser to P iedras Negras, i .e., those i n the U sumacinta f lood p lains and Tonina, are a ll participants i n t he polychrome t radition. Again, the presence o f an Early C lassic T zakol t radition may f undamentally s hape t he ceramic h istory o f a s ite i n the northwestern periphery. These comparisons a re n ot exclusive f or any one s ite o r any t ime p eriod, a lthough P alenque appears the most d ifferent. The magnitude o f dissimilarity does not c onstitute a c linal variation, s tretching f rom P eten to the northwest, b ut r ather marks a f undamental c leavage i n t he craft o f pottery making, s eparating the northwest f rom the east. I n s pite o f l ocal d ifferences, when examined f rom a northwestern perspective, P iedras Negras i s c onvincingly a llied with P eten vogues.

CERAMIC SEQUENCE Even weighing s ampling problems, P iedras Negras i s a n i nsignificant c ommunity f rom Mamom i n the P reclassic into e arly E arly C lassic t imes. P iedras Negras does not grow s ignificantly u ntil t he b eginning o f t he Naba c eramic c omplex ( AD 4 50-550/600), a s r epresented by t he widespread o ccurrence o f Naba s herds and the appearance o f monumental a rchitecture and s culpture. The Naba ceramic complex ( Fig. 3 a-f) i s a f ull-fledged member o f the T zakol c eramic s phere, s haring most types with P eten ( Smith 1 955). Naba r epresents a " stripped-down" version o f T zakol with Peten G loss ware, v ery s imple polychrome d esigns, and t ripod c ylinders. I n s pite o f the s trong P eten character to the N aba c omplex, o nly a f ew s pecimens have been a ssuredly i dentified as non-local. Local d ifferences that a re a lso s hared with s ites c lose to P iedras Negras i n the n orthwestern l owlands i nclude basal f lange t ripod dishes, molded r im bowls, and b olstered r im utility j ars and b asins. Bolstered r im, 1 89

G eorge R . H olley

-

a

1

1

4 " e b 1

F ig. 3 . Naba ( a-f) and B alche ( g-1). a , g-j, o rangeb ased s lip. Red i s d iagonal l ines t rending r ight. S cale 1 /3 for a ll l ine drawings. 1 90

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras unslipped basins ( Fig. 3 e) a re n ot common i n the Peten and probably represent an i ndigenous tradition, a ffiliated with o ther Western s ites ( Rands 1 967: F ig. 9 c). P iedras Negras-like pottery i s definitely exported to Palenque, creating a T zakol v eneer ( Rands 1 974:61, F ig. 6 d-h, i ) on an aberrant E arly C lassic Motiepa complex. D uring Naba t imes, P iedras Negras appears to f it the conditions o f a n ewly e stablished gateway center, r ising from an i nsignificant s ite to a s ignificant center on the Usumacinta w ith a s trong Peten orientation. O lder c enters to t he east, s uch as Yaxchilan, were probably on the way to b ecoming c entral p laces, whereas the n orthwest, a s exemplified by P alenque, constituted the f rontier. Yaxchilan i s p resumed to be an o lder c enter on the basis of e pigraphic d ating. G iven the l ate dating o f Naba, i t i s p ossible t hat t he evolution o f P iedras Negras to a gateway c ity may have been i ntertwined with the Teotihuacan-Kaminaljuyu-Tikal axis. Tripod cylinders a re present in t he northwest but n ot at Palenque. M issing f rom t his s cenario are events r elating to the early period o f the E arly C lassic. As n oted above, P iedras Negras i s a n e ssentially l ate participant i n the Tzakol expansion, with only a t race o f an early Early C lassic presence a t the s ite. I n the northwest periphery, early Tzakol i s a lso uncommon to r are, with examples deriving f rom T onina ( Becquelin and B audez 1 979:233), Yoxiha ( Blom a nd La Farge 1 926), and C hinikiha ( Rands 1 967: F ig. 9 d; 1 977). I n the U sumacinta f lood p lain there i s perhaps an e ven earlier expression o f the Early C lassic, r epresented at E l Tren and Nueva E speranza. This p ottery s uggests that there was an earlier expansion i nto t he northwest, b efore P iedras Negras was a gateway c ity. One possible g ateway center f or this inspiration could be Yaxchilan, a lthough t he E arly C lassic c eramics from the s ite have n ot been adequately r eported f or comparison. The Balche ceramic complex ( AD 5 50/600-630) r epresents an e laboration o f Naba traits with t he addition o f n ew traits ( Fig. 3 g-1). The t ransitional nature o f the p ottery a nd the l ack o f l arge, pure deposits imparts an e nigmatic character to this c omplex. Balche a lso c oincides with t he equally enigmatic h iatus o f the C lassic M aya ( Willey 1 974). P resumably, hieratic construction i s d iscontinued f or a brief p eriod o f t ime at most c enters. B alche c eramics exhibit traits that are symptomatic o f the T zakol-Tepeu t ransition i n the P eten with t he f lange-tor idge d iminution ( Fig. 3 1) a nd the p roliferation o f p olychrome bowls. A Balche diagnostic i s s pecular h ematite p aint ( Fig. 3 g), which i s a ssociated typically w ith matte s lips. Peten G loss ware i s uncommon and c onfined p rimarily to S axche Orange Polychrome ( Fig. 3 i, j• Notably, r ing bases, everted r ims, buff-cream p rimers, a nd r esist painting appear f or the f irst t ime. 1 91

G eorge R . H olley But unlike P eten and other e astern s ites, such a s A ltar d e S acrificios and S eibal, t he f lange-to-ridge d iminution marks the e ffective t ermination o f t he t radition, further s etting o ff P iedras Negras f rom the e ast. A lso, t he popularity o f s pecular hematite paint points to a d ivergence f rom Peten s tandards. I mported pottery i ncreases s lightly during Balche b ut i s not a d iagnostic o f the c omplex. P iedras Negras i s a pparently s till i nfluential in the northwest a s evident by the i mportation and l ocal imitation o f s pecular h ematite-painted bowls a t Palenque and Trinidad. Ceramics o f t he s ucceeding Y axche complex ( AD 6 307 30) a re i ndicative o f a v iable, l ong-lasting tradition a t P iedras Negras ( Fig. 4 a-g). Large s cale architectural c onstruction and population s ize probably reach a peak n ear t he end o f the c omplex. A lso, the f irst u se o f t he corbelled vault, the f inal C lassic h allmark emanating f rom t he P eten core to appear at P iedras Negras, coincides with the beginning o f the Yaxche complex. Yaxche i s divided i nto two f acets that approximate i n modal traits the Tepeu 1 and 2 d ivision at U axactun ( Smith 1 955). The emphasis o n multiple r esist painting i s s o p ervasive ( Fig. 4 a, b ) that developmental trends in the o range p olychrome t ypes a re d ifficult t o recognize o n i ndividual s pecimens. The r esist t ypes are b rilliant, t hough monotonous, examples o f a d ivergence from P eten. Cream primers are ubiquitous a nd even appear u nder r ed s lips on utility b asins a nd under smudged s lips. Nong loss r ed s lips a re popular, a lthough g loss ware c ontinues i n r esist a nd monochrome o range and b rown s lips. The shift initiated during Balche f rom t he beveled rim, t ripod d ish to t he everted r im, r ing based d ish i s completed by Yaxche. Imported pottery i s p resent i n notable yet i nsignificant numbers when c ompared with e arlier complexes. This pottery i s l inked to s tyles typical o f P iedras Negras, t he northwest a nd presently u ndefined t raditions. The r esist t radition a t P iedras Negras i s s trongly a ffiliated with Yaxchilan ( Boucher 1 980) and A ltar de S acrificios ( Adams 1 971) to t he east, with the C ampeche i nterior at Becan ( Ball 1 977) to t he north, a nd with U sumacinta R iver s ites, s uch a s Trinidad ( Rands 1 969), to the north and west. This widespread d istribution o f r esist p ainting s uggests t hat P iedras Negras i s a t the f orefront o f a c ircum-Peten experimentation and n ot on a border between a f rontier a nd c ore. Arguably, the c onstellation o f c eramic and n on-ceramic traits that c rystallize i n Yaxche t imes a re i ndicative of P iedras Negras a ttaining a measure o f i ndependence, growth, and i nnovation, which i n this case i s i nterpreted as attaining the role of a central p lace.

1 92

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras

a 1

It r t l

F ig. 4 . s lipped;

n ,

Yaxche ( a-g) r ed-on-cream;

and Chacalhaaz 1 , m , i mports. 1 93

( h-n).

d ,

orange

G eorge R . H olley At approximately t he s ame t ime a s the Yaxche c eramic c omplex, Palenque e xperiences a c eramic and architectural v igor during the Otolum ceramic complex, a s exemplified by the e laboration o f t he everted r im d ish a nd construction a ctivities a ssociated with the r eign o f Pacal ( Rands 1 974). P alenque i s c learly a boom t own at this t ime. The everted r im d ishes a re exported o r imitated t hroughout most of the northwestern l owlands ( Rands 1 967: F ig. l id; 1 969:29; Rands a nd B ishop 1 980). P alenque a lso a ppears to be i mporting l ess pottery at this t ime than during earlier Motiepa or l ater Murcielagos t imes ( Rands a nd Bishop 1 980). This s ituation at P alenque f its t he implications o f the gateway model, with t he o scillation b etween exporting and importing pottery t ied to i ts evolution f rom a gateway to a c entral p lace. The gradual shift toward the dominance o f the everted rim mode f or d ishes a t P iedras Negras ( Fig. 4 a) may r eflect the vigor o f this expansion. The s eventh c entury AD was a t ime of dramatic change i n the northwestern periphery. P alenque evolved f rom a s ite w ith l ittle influence to one o f paramount importance, while the r elative r ole o f P iedras Negras waned. That t here was s ome f orm o f competition between the two s ites appears l ikely, w ith P alenque a ssuming the r ole of a g ateway c ity a nd P iedras Negras s hifting,to a role o f a c entral p lace. The other northwestern s ites, Tonina and Comalcalco, p robably develop into important c enters s omewhat l ater; i nterpretations o f t heir r elative s tatus are n ot possible at the p resent. Judging by the polychrome d ata ( Becquelin a nd Baudez 1 979), Tonina may have emerged a s a s ignificant c enter s lightly l ater in t ime. The major o ccupation o f Comalcalco ( Peniche 1 973) i s much l ater i n t ime ( beginning a round AD 8 00) a nd i s questionable r egarding i ts a ffiliation to C lassic Maya culture. The eventual c essation o f e lite a ctivities at P iedras Negras, a s opposed to i ts a bandonment, occurs at t he c lose o f the Chacalhaaz c eramic complex at approximately AD 8 30. The l atest monument date o f AD 7 95 p robably does n ot mark the t ermination o f e lite a ctivities; I believe that s ome o f t he i nsecurely-placed s telae a re somewhat l ater. Early f acet Chacalhaaz ( Fig. 4 h-n) deposits a re f ound on the surface a nd i n well-sealed f ill, while l ate f acet ( Fig. 5 a-j) deposits are c onfined to on-floor contexts at the Acropolis and r arely o ccur i n f ill. During l ate f acet Chacalhaaz there was a decline in population and h ieratic f unctions, which r esembles the c onditions d escribed f or T ikal i n E znab t imes ( Culbert 1 973). The i nterpretation o f events l eading t o the c ollapse o f P iedras Negras i s not resolved. A Chacalhaaz d iagnostic i s t he r ed bar motif on the exterior of everted r im t ripod dishes ( Fig. 4 h). A s b efitting a T epeu 2 d ating, ceramic decoration r eached the apogee o f variation a nd s kill i n e xecution. Resist painting was phased out 1 94

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras

1

\ ? ' •

1

1

F ig. 5 . Late f acet j ) and Kumche ( k-p).

Chacalhaaz

1 95

( a-e),

Tamay

subcomplex

( f-

G eorge R . H olley and replaced by positive painting. G loss s lips a re a lso i nfrequent. The p ainted monkey f igure ( Fig. 4 n), i n contrast to the human f igure, i s decidedly more common. This emphasis i s p roblematical b ut not foreign to t he northwest, a s the depiction o f t he monkey is a popular motif f or pottery and f igurines before t he collapse o f the C lassic Maya c ulture. Imported pottery i ncreases i n f requency throughout the span o f the Chacalhaaz c omplex a nd i s h eavily r epresented i n the spatially-restricted, l ate f acet deposits. I n the early f acet, i mported pottery i ncludes both f oreign ( Fig. 4 1, m ) and l ocal s tyles, whereas by the l ate f acet the Tamay s ubcomplex ( Fig. 5 f-j) accounts f or t he bulk o f t he exotics. Tamay p ottery i s characterized by f ine paste, p lastic decorated s erving vessels and i s r elated to, y et differs f rom, t he F ine Gray Chablekal group at Jonuta-Tecolpan ( Berlin 1 956), c oastal C ampeche, D zibilchaltun, a nd Coba. S imilarities are greatest with p ottery f rom P alenque and other s ites c loser to P iedras N egras, e specially a t Chinikiha, Pomona, and Y oxiha. Tamay pottery i s a lso f ound i n s maller quantities a t Tonina ( Bequelin and Baudez 1 979), Yaxchilan ( Boucher 1 980), and A ltar de S acrificios ( Adams 1 971: F ig. 3 2b, upper r ight and l ower). Local Chacalhaaz p ottery of the l ate f acet ( Fig. 5 ae ) i s s ufficiently different f rom t he early f acet a nd may warrant a s eparate complex d esignation. Polychrome painting, cream primers, g loss s lips, a nd everted r ims are uncommon in the l ate f acet. Matte monochrome s lips dominate a long with a host o f n ew a nd exotic shapes s uch a s b eakers, open-spouted bowls, m edial-fluted cylinders and neckless, s triated j ars. The r ed bar motif, h owever, i s s till present. Modal c orrespondences between P iedras Negras a nd the east a re i ndicated at l east f or t he e arly f acet, however i t i s n ot known i f t hese s imilarities reflect a c ommon a ncestry or d irect contacts. T his i s particularly apparent f or t he r ed bar motif, which i s very widespread at this t ime. A ltar de S acrificios ( Adams 1 971:133) and Yaxchilan are both - i nfluenced by t he s ame western-based s timulus a ffecting P iedras Negras, a lthough not to the e xtent witnessed a t P iedras Negras. There are a lso l inkages with P alenque at this t ime, a s evident in modal s imilarities, P iedras Negras-like imports, and the s haring o f t he T amay s ubcomplex. The imported Tamay s ubcomplex derives f rom a vigorous s tyle z one l ying s omewhere between P iedras Negras and P alenque, which h as t ies to s ites on the U sumacinta f lood p lain and c oastal Yucatan. Whether this style i s a ssociated w ith a nother gateway s ituation or an intrusion i s u nknown. However, i f a new gateway c ity i s developing 1 96

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras in t he northwest, i t i s n ot a llied to P eten. Relationships with the e lusive Putun may be i ndicated, a lthough this c ontradicts the o ften c ited correlation between the l ater F ine Orange-Fine Gray ceramic groups and the P utun ( Thompson 1 970; S abloff 1 975:239). Excluding the u se o f f ine p aste, the Tamay s tyle bears l ittle a ffinity to these l ater F ine P aste groups. The Tamay s tyle effectively t erminates a t t he s ame t ime P iedras Negras and P alenque c ollapse. P iedras Negras was a v iable c entral p lace at the beginning of t he Chacalhaaz c eramic complex. The s ituation at Palenque during this period covers the l atter part of the Murcielagos and a ll o f the B alunte complexes. During Murcielagos, Palenque shifts away f rom t he exporting phase, a s a gateway c ity, to a central p lace, as witnessed by the importation o f pottery a nd t he f lorescence in the r elative amount of architectural c onstruction ( Rands 1 973, 1 974:66). During the Balunte phase, imports continue b ut a re primarily r elated to T amayl ike styles. The T erminal C lassic Kumche ceramic complex ( AD 8 309 30?) i s r epresentative o f t he " rump" C lassic ( Fig. 5 kP )The break b etween Chacalhaaz and Kumche gives every i ndication o f a f undamental b reakdown o f t he C lassic Maya c eramic t radition a ccompanied by even further population decline. Kumche deposits o ccur a s surface middens i n the s outhern s ection o f P iedras Negras. There i s no evidence o f a rchitectural construction and only minimal occupation o f t he buildings during Kumche. Kumche ceramics r epresent a n admixture o f l ocal and f oreign pottery. The A ltar-Balancan-Tres Naciones groups a re present a s imports ( Rands, B ishop, and S abloff 1 982), a long with l ocally made imitations a nd s tyles unique to P iedras Negras. Local pottery includes r ed s lipped bowls a nd basins, smudged b lack d ishes, t ripod bowls, and t ripod g raters. S alvemento Red-on-orange i s a n important type ( Fig. 5 n, o ) a nd characterized by c rudely painted designs o n j ars t hat a re r eminiscent of Postclassic designs. The r ed bar motif c ontinues to be used a nd points to s ome c onnection between the L ate C lassic and Terminal C lassic t raditions. In T erminal C lassic t imes, the movement o f c eramics r eturns to an e ast-west f low, viewed f rom a northwestern p erspective, and P iedras Negras i s once again i n t he f rontier. The h omeland o f variants of the F ine OrangeF ine Gray pottery ( Altar a nd Tres Naciones groups), p resumably in t he z one between Yaxchilan and S eibal, takes o n the t rappings o f a n ew gateway community. This i s e vident i n t he v igorous exportation o f pottery to P iedras N egras a nd other s ites, and at l east one o f these s ites in

1 97

G eorge R . H olley t his t his

z one, p eriod.

S eibal

( Sabloff

1 975),

i s

a boom t own during

CONCLUSIONS On t he b asis o f c eramic d ata, a s well a s o ther e vidence n ot f ully e xplored i n t his p aper, i t h as b een s uggested t hat P iedras Negras existed a t t he border o f t he P eten-based s outhern M aya l owlands. This p osition w as i nterpreted a s i deal f or t he evolution o f P iedras Negras f rom a s mall P reclassic s ettlement t o a g ateway c ity c onnecting P eten t o t he n orthwest. Owing t o t he i nevitable c ompetition t hat a rises when a f rontier i s g radually b rought i nto an expanding s ystem, P iedras Negras d eclined i n importance i n the f rontier and was e clipsed i n the n orthwest by t he g rowth o f P alenque, which a lso p aralleled t he e volutionary c ourse f rom g ateway c ity t o c entral p lace. These d evelopments were t erminated by t he c ollapse o f t he C lassic Maya s ystem, y et not b efore a r estructuring o f e conomic a nd political i ntegration t hat may h ave i nvolved r egions t o t he north. B efore t he e ffective a bandonment o f P iedras N egras t here was a s hortl ived r eturn o f eastern i nfluence. I t s hould b e obvious t hat t his application o f t he g ateway model i s t oo p at a n explanation a nd undoubtedly s implifies e conomic a nd p olitical p rocesses. I h ave a lso n ot c onsidered c ritical v ariables t hat s hape the g ateway c ity: i ts p rimary r ole a s a t rading c enter, the s ize o f t he h interland, a nd t he n ature o f c ompetition b etween g ateway c ities. A lso, the c eramic contribution t o the g ateway model, a s p roposed i n t his r esearch, r equires f urther r efinement r egarding t he q uantification o f s ocial i nteraction a nd a heavier r eliance o n paste c ompositional a nalysis. Nonetheless, I am s till i ntrigued b y e vents t hat s eem to h ave c haracterized P iedras Negras a nd P alenque t hat may impinge o n t he i nterpretation o f o ther b order r egions. T o p araphrase Burghardt ( 1971:285), t hese events a re i nterpreted a s f ollows. P iedras Negras was " set u p" b y P eten a s a g ateway c ity to t he northwestern p eriphery during t he E arly C lassic. Later, competitors emerged i n t he f rontier, s uch a s a t P alenque, f orcing P iedras N egras t o a c entral p lace s tatus. These new c enters " set up" t he f rontier a nd w ere i n t urn eventually " set up" a s c entral p laces by t he h interland.

A cknowledgments This r esearch would n ot h ave b een possible w ithout t he c ontribution o f a n umber o f c oncerned people. Bob Rands not o nly o ffered t he P iedras Negras data a s a d issertation p roject but s upported me g enerously until i ts c ompletion. Bob a lso w as t olerant o f my i nquisitive 1 98

C eramic S equence o f P iedras N egras nature and opened the Palenque s urvey data to my s crutiny. The discussion of data from c ollections gathered by Bob and a ssociates i s based on personal observation. Bill Woods and the Graduate S chool at Southern I llinois University at Edwardsville have a lso been i nstrumental i n providing a computer and monetary a ssistance to attend the 1 985 Maya Ceramic Conference. As a lways, Bonnie L . Gums generously provided a ll of the i llustration work and editorial a ssistance. F inally, I wish to thank the INAH staff in Merida, in particular Dr. Peter Schmidt and Sylviane Boucher, f or extending hospitality and k nowledge. My brief discussion of the ceramics f rom Jonuta, Tecolpan, D zibilchaltun, Coba, and E l T ren d erive from observations of collections in Merida in 1 985. References ADAMS, 1 971

R .E. W. The Ceramics o f Altar de Sacrificios, Papers of t he Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

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R .L., AND R .L. B ISHOP " Resource Procurement Z ones and Patterns of Ceramic Exchange in the Palenque Region, Mexico, i n Models and Methods in Regional Exchange, ed. by R .E. Fry, pp. 1 9-45. Society for American Archaeology Papers 1 ( Washington D .C.)

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R .L., R .L. B ISHOP, AND J . A. SABLOFF "Maya F ine Paste Ceramics: An Archaeological Perspective," in Analyses of Fine Paste Ceramics ed. by J . A. Sabloff. Memoirs of the Peabody Museum o f Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 1 5, no. 2 ( Cambridge: Harvard University).

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1 0 C eram ic P a t terns a nd T rad i t ions i n t he P a lenque A rea

R obert L . R ands

The g reater P alenque z one o f northeastern Chiapas and adjacent T abasco i s s omewhat arbitrary i n s cope and, f or ceramic purposes, c annot be considered a s ingle r egion. The e ntire area i s, however, i ncluded w ithin M arcus' ( 1976) definition o f a polity c entered on the " regional capital" o f P alenque. A lthough one-to-one r elationships between major c eramic and political units would rarely be presupposed, p roblems o f political and economic centralization, a nd their r elationship to pottery production and e xchange, a re g ermane and h ave g iven direction to my r esearch. These concerns a ffect t he data base, which gives unusual weight to paste composition, but are not the primary thrust of the present paper. A chronologically-ordered s ummary o f developmental t rends i s intended, noting s imilarities outside t he s tudy area a s well a s internal d ifferences. T hree major physiographic r egions a re r ecognized ( Fig. 1 ). From s outh to north, these a re: 1 ) the h eavily f olded Chiapas-Tabasco f oothills, or l ow s ierras; 2 ) the l ow-lying, highly weathered P leistocene terraces ( the intermediate p lains); a nd 3 ) the f ertile r ecent a lluvium of t he middle t o l ower U sumacinta R iver ( the U sumacinta f loodplain). A lthough this f ormulation g losses over environmental z oning, c eramic patterns correspond sufficiently to g ive the three divisions utility, both a s environmental and culture-historical constructs. Toward the e astern and western extremes o f the s tudy area, this tripartite r egional f ormulation appears l ess u seful than toward the c enter. ( For s pecific implications o f this formulation s ee R ands and Bishop 1 980 and f or a broader geographical perspective s ee West et a l. 1 969.) The t emporal f ramework f or the present paper anchored t o excavations at Palenque in the l ow s ierras at T rinidad in t he U sumacinta f loodplain ( Fig. 2 ). 2 03

i s and I n

Robert L . Rands

2 04

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

T IME

MAJOR

( 11.16 .0 . 110

P ER IODS

CORRELAT ION )

PALENQUE

T R IN IDAD

( S i lho Hor izon )

( S i lho H or izon )

A .D . 100 1 000 9 00 8 00

EARLY POSTCLASS IC

T ER M INAL C LASS IC

L ATE

7 00

5 00 4 00 3 00

? L a te

MURC IELAGOS

C LASS IC

OTOLU M

NAAB E ar ly L ate

TAX INCHAN

M IDDLE

6 00

HU IPALE BALUNTE

C LASS IC

CASCADA

E ar ly

MOT IEPA

( Ear ly C lass ic H or izon )

EARLY C LASS IC

P ICOTA

2 00

?

1 00 0

B .C . 1 00

( La te Waxy

L ATE

—

2 00

?

H or izon? )

P RECLASS IC

—

—

—

—

M ISOLHA

3 00

( Ear ly Waxy

4 00

Hor izon )

CHAC IBCAN

5 00 6 00

M IDDLE ( Pre - Waxy

P RECLASS IC

7 00

Hor izon ) CH IUAAN

8 00

F ig.

2 .

Chronological

XOT

chart

for the P alenque

z one.

p art, t he absence o f a major s tratigraphic c olumn for a s ite i n the i ntermediate p lains represents deficiencies in s ampling but, a dditionally, underscores the marginal d emographic and c ultural position o f the r egion. Except i n the c lose v icinity o f the s ierras, a s ignificant o ccupation o f t he p lains i s indicated only f or the Late C lassic p eriod ( Murcielagos and e specially Balunte c omplexes). At t hat t ime, ceramic a ffiliations are c loser t o Palenque and t he l ow s ierras than to T rinidad and other s ites i n the U sumacinta f loodplain.

2 05

R obert L . R ands T he c oncept o f horizon markers i s employed a t Trinidad a nd P alenque t o i ndicate p oorly r epresented developments t hat a re n ot f ixed i n a f ull c eramic c omplex ( Fig. 2 ). These markers a re i n s ome c ases b etter represented a t n earby s ites a nd, i n a ny c ase, h ave temporal s ignificance f or s outheastern Mesoamerica. T he C lassic s equence a t P alenque i s a ssessed by c hanges i n a f ew b road t raditions. The t raditions s how c ohesiveness i n paste, t echnology, and b road c ategories o f vessel s hape that s hould r elate t o f unction, a s well a s i n c ertain aspects o f s urface f inish. Changes i n modes o f s hape p lay an i mportant r ole i n t emporal r efinement w ithin e ach tradition. T he p resent emphasis r esults f rom p ragmatic considerations. U nusually poor p reservation o f s urface f inish i s c haracteristic o f t he l ow s ierras and intermediate p lains, l imiting t he u tility o f t ype-variety analysis a nd n ecessitating analytical p rocedures t o s upplement t he method. ( See F orsyth 1 983 f or a c ritique of s trengths a nd l imitations o f the t ype-variety approach.) A lthough s ometimes b adly eroded, t he waxy Preclassic s lips t end to b e much b etter p reserved t han C lassic s lips, w ith t he exception o f E arly C lassic p ottery belonging t o t he Aguila c eramic g roup. A ll t he b etter preserved s lipped c eramics are, apparently, i mports; i t i s the l ocally p roduced monochromes a nd polychromes t hat a re especially s ubject t o weathering. Y et, i n s pite o f repeated s easonal a nd i ntraseasonal s tress f rom s aturation and d rying a s t he U sumacinta f loods a nd s ubsides, t he entire r ange o f c eramics a long t he r iver t ends t o b e better p reserved t han t hat f rom o ther p ortions o f the s tudy a rea. T he t raditions m ay b e c haracterized a s polythetic c lusterings o f t raits t hat c ohere u sefully over t ime s pans greatly e xceeding a c eramic c omplex. None o f the t raits i s s ufficient o r a bsolutely n ecessary f or d efining t he tradition, a nd, i n f act, v ariability within a tradition constitutes p art o f the evidence o n which c eramic complexes a re d efined. L oosely, t he t raditions m ight a lso be c haracterized as wares o f l ong d uration, a s " ware" i s s ometimes employed in t he a rchaeological l iterature. T his does n ot c onform, however, t o t he s pecifics o f t ype-variety u sage, a nd I further a gree w ith R ice's ( 1976) s trictures about t he problems i n type-variety a nalysis r esulting f rom i nconsistent u se o f t he ware c oncept. Rather than a dding to t he c onfusion s urrounding the t erm, I u se d esignations such a s P alenque's " sustained b rown p aste t radition," t he " Early-Middle C lassic j ar t radition," o r, when t he constellations o f p aste, t echnological, a nd c ultural f eatures i s l argely c onfined t o a s ingle c eramic c omplex, the " gloss s ubcomplex" o f Motiepa ( see W illey, C ulbert, and Adams 1 967).

2 06

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea I n t he i nvestigations o f many problems, t hese b road f ormulations c ould ( and s hould) b e abandoned i n f avor o f a l arger number o f s eparate non-hierarchical t raditions. An e xample i s the e verted-rim t radition, p rominent t hroughout t he c eramic h istory o f P alenque i n t he b rown p aste t radition b ut a lso important i n t he l ate b uff/brown/grayp aste s ubcomplex o f B alunte. Operationally, t he more s pecific t raditions h ave greater u tility. T he b road t raditions p resented h ere a re s ynthetic a nd d escriptive r ather than analytic, t heir s trength b eing i nferred f rom f requencies o f d iscrete but r elevant a ttributes a s well a s f rom s omewhat i mpressionistic a ssessments o f s lip and p aint f requencies. I have o ften r eferred t o t he c eramic i solation o f t he s tudy area, or s ignificant p ortions o f i t, a s s een f rom a g eneralized l owland Maya p erspective ( Rands 1 973, 1 974, 1 977). Recognizing t hat t he r est o f t he Maya a rea i s by n o m eans uniform a nd l eaving a side c ertain q ualifications, t he d ivergence may b e i llustrated by c iting w idespread modal t raditions t hat a re weakly d eveloped o r o f s hort d uration, w ith s pecial r eference t o t he i mmediate l ocality o f P alenque. These i nclude s triated j ars, h andled j ars, h igh n ecked C lassic j ars, c omposite s ilhouette v essels, a nd s pouts. D evelopment o f t he i mpressed f illet i s g enerally f eeble, a nd t he r arity o f s piked i ncensarios i s m arked. F langes a nd r ing-stand b ases are weakly d eveloped a s i s polychromy ( with s pecial r eference t o f igural p ainting). The a bsence o f a s ustained p olychrome t radition may r elate t o the r elative u nimportance o f s lipped s urfaces, a lthough, a s s een, a n e lement o f u ncertainty i s p resent due t o poor p reservation o f s urface f inish. F rom a p erspective t hat L owe ( 1977, 1 978) a nd o thers would a ssociate w ith t he M ixe-Zoque, t he r arity o f c ertain o f these t raits, s uch a s h andled j ars a nd p olychromy, does n ot appear a berrant.

PRECLASSIC P ERIOD I nspection o f t he c hronological c hart ( Fig. 2 ) s hows l acunae in t he l ong Trinidad s equence, which i s broken o r p oorly r epresented f or most o f t he L ate P reclassic and E arly C lassic p eriods. The h eavy c oncentration o f P reclassic p ottery antedates t he appearance o f waxy ware. T he c ontrast o f t he l ustrous waxy s lip with e arlier s lips may b e even g reater than i s g enerally t he c ase i n t he M aya l owlands. This o bservation c ould i ndicate s till a nother b reak i n t he s equence, b etween t he X ot a nd Chacibcan c omplexes ( representing a t ime o f experimentation i n t he s lips), or s uggest t he s udden i ntroduction o f waxy ware a s a t echnologically d eveloped c eramic. F or the s tudy a rea a s a whole, t he waxy f eel o f t his p ottery i s p ronounced. A t

P alenque,

where

t he 2 07

P reclassic

i s

p oorly

R obert L . R ands r epresented, s hapes i n the waxy-surfaced c eramics s uggest a t emporal position antedating t he more d iagnostic Chicanel modes. I f developmental t rends a re synchronous, a l ate Middle Preclassic horizon i s p robable. The p aucity o f characteristic Chicanel c eramics f rom t he s tudy area may i ndicate, h owever, t hat the C hicanel ceramic s phere was never e stablished i n t he west, generalized M amom o r Mamom/Chicanel-like developments t ending to p ersist throughout t he l ate P reclassic period. E arly P reclassic

i n the U sumacinta

F loodplain

O lmec-style f igurine h eads o f T ierra B lanca, t hough n ot anchored to a l ocal s equence, correspond to e xamples i n t he S an Lorenzo phase, Veracruz ( Rands 1 977: F ig. 7 .1a, b ). I have a lso commented on O lmecoid a spects o f c eramic f igurines f rom P alenque--in keeping with j ade i n O lmec s tyle r eported f or t he s ite ( Dockstader 1 964: F ig. 7 8)-but the l atter objects do not s uggest the e arly date i ndicated by t he T ierra B lanca heads. Middle

P reclassic:

P re-Waxy Horizons

Early d evelopments i n the Middle Preclassic a re best documented at Trinidad, i n the C hivaan and Xot c eramic c omplexes ( Fig. 3 a, b ). Occurrences in and near t he l ow s ierras are a lso n oted ( Fig. 4 a). By c onsidering these materials s eparately f rom l ater developments in the Middle P reclassic, the absence o f waxy s lips i s emphasized. Sparse materials i n the l ower l evels at Trinidad may i ndicate an e arly f acet o f Chivaan, perhaps pushing b ack i n t ime toward t he E arly P reclassic ( Fig. 3 a3,-8,-9). I ncluded a re thick walled white s lip t ecomates, thick walled white r im b lackware, a nd, p erhaps, t hin walled t ecomates with horizontal grooving b elow t he r im exterior. Bold, s weeping i ncising i s present. A s i n t he l ater Chivaan c eramics, however, s tamped, s triated, b rushed, or other t extured s urfaces are e ssentially unknown.

F ig. 3 . U sumacinta f loodplain, Middle P reclassic. a , Chivaan c eramic c omplex ( pre-waxy). 1 -3, 5 -10, T rinidad; 4 , T ierra B lanca. 1 , 2 , 4 , r ed; 8 , b lack; 9 , white. 1 -7, i ncised; 8 , f luted. 1 -6, 9 , volcanic g lass t emper; 7 , quartz; 8 , f ine paste w ith n umerous volcanic g lass i nclusions; 1 0, quartz s and with sparse volcanic g lass. b , X ot ceramic complex ( pre-waxy). 1 -6, Trinidad. 3 , r ed; 4 , b lack; 6 , r ed daub. 1 , 4 , 5 , grooved-incised; 2 , 3 , c hamfered-grooved. 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , v olcanic ash t emper; 3 , 4 , f ine paste with numerous volcanic g lass i nclusions. A ll c eramic i llustrations to s cale s hown here. 2 08

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

1

2

3

5

4

6

9

a

1

2 3

4

0

1 5

6

f l

2 09

R obert L . R ands

3

5

a

4 6

5

F ig. 4 . Preclassic. a , S ierras/Plains ( pre-waxy). 1 -3, Paso Nuevo; 4 , Chinikiha; 5 , Palenque, 6 , Y oxiha. 4 , red daub. 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , i ncised and g roove-incised. 1 -4, volcanic a sh temper; 5 , s herd; 6 , c arbonate. b , U sumacinta f loodplain, Chacibcan c eramic c omplex ( waxy). 1 -3, Trinidad; 4 , 5 , Nueva E speranza. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , r ed. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , carbonate temper; 3 , volcanic a sh.

Chivaan p astes a re generally l ight buff containing f ine volcanic g lass, and are o ften extremely hard. H ighn eck j ars ( Fig. 3 b6), found in Xot contexts, have s imilar p aste, but many o f the Xot ceramics tend toward a s ofter, r edder p aste with quartz s and, o ften having a s parse admixture of volcanic a sh. I n general, C hivaan participates i n a widespread horizon o f hard white wares ( Coe and D iehl 1 980:188). Nevertheless, ceramics o f s imilar p aste a re present, i n v arying frequencies, throughout most o f the Trinidad s equence. Some Chivaan p ottery has a n onlustrous orange-red s lip; unslipped s urfaces a re g enerally unburnished. Contrastive s lips a re l ess common i n Xot, when p olishing i s more f requent. I rregular areas of matte r ed p aint, r eminiscent o f Palma Daub, occur on Xot j ars ( Fig. 3 b6). Broad-line i ncising i s the most common d ecorative t echnique i n t he Chivaan complex ( Fig. 3 a1-7). P rincipal motifs i nclude the s ingle- and d ouble-line b reak, s lanting p arallel l ines, a nd connected arcs or l oops. Horizontal f luting occurs. I n Xot, s ingle or m ultiple c ircumferential grooved-incised l ines are common o n vessel e xteriors ( Fig. 3 b1,-4,-5), b ut otherwise i ncising d eclines. An occasional decorative e ffect m ay b e described a s a combination o f h orizontal grooving and c hamfering ( Fig. 3 b2,-3). 2 10

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea Dominant s hapes i n the Chivaan complex include f lat b ase, f laring wall d ishes, tecomates, and restricted o rifice bowls. N ecked j ars are uncommon. X ot j ars have exceptionally h igh necks with pronounced, undulating c oiling ( Fig. 3 b6). F lared to r ounded s ides a re r epresented on f lat b ase bowls and d ishes, and a modified c uspidor f orm occurs. T ecomates decline, perhaps d isappearing in X ot. Striking f or their absence i n both c omplexes are w ide everted rims. Large, s olid, white p aste f igurine f ragments a re p resent. Apparently, Conchas 1 -like f igurines can be p laced i n t he C hivaan complex and a Mamom-style f igurine h ead occurs in Xot ( Rands 1 977: F ig. 7 .1c, e ). I n general, t he c losest Chivaan a ffiliations l ie to the west o f the Maya area, a lthough f eatures a re s hared with Xe. A horizon e arly i n the Middle P reclassic i s i ndicated, modal s imilarities b eing p resent, f or example, i n t he Nacaste a nd Palangana phases at S an Lorenzo, Dili i n the Chiapas d epression, and Duende a nd Conchas 1 in s outhern Chiapas a nd Guatemala ( Coe and Diehl 1 980; Dixon 1 959; Ekholm 1 969; Coe and F lannery 1 967). Maya r elationships are s trengthened i n t he Xot c omplex. A g eneralized Mamom horizon i s indicated, a s s een in s imilarities to r ed-daub j ars, chamfering, and f igurine s tyle. Nevertheless, c ertain absences i ndicate a sharp b reak with the Mamom ceramic sphere, i ncluding F lores Waxy ware, wide everted r ims, and Mars Orange ware. The absence o f waxy ware s uggests a temporal position r elatively early i n the Middle P reclassic, though the possibility o f i solation f rom centers o f i nnovation, with l ag, cannot be d ismissed. P re-waxy c eramics are poorly represented at s everal s ites in and adjacent to the l ow s ierras. Xot j ars--close i n t heir d istinctive s hape and c hemical composition to those of Trinidad--occur at Chinikiha ( cf. F igs. 3 b6, 4 a4). A massive g rooved, everted r im at P alenque ( Fig. 4 a5) may belong t o a p re-waxy p eriod; i f s o, i t i s i n marked contrast to Chivaan and Xot, which l ack appreciable rim eversion. A s ingle grooved-and-punctate f igurine head i s k nown at Palenque. P astes are variable, with volcanic a sh, s herd, and c arbonate t emper. Matte r ed s lip or daub occurs; incising i ncludes c ircumferential l ines and a rcs; tecomates a re p resent. I t i s not unlikely t hat some of the l ow s ierras c eramics grouped h ere o ccupy s lightly d ifferent t emporal p ositions. Middle

Preclassic:

I n the at T rinidad f rom mounds construction

Waxy Horizons

U sumacinta f loodplain, the Chacibcan c omplex i s c omplemented by observations o f materials a t N ueva E speranza, bulldozed during road ( Fig. 4 b). Orange a nd r ed monochromes with 2 11

R obert L . R ands h ighly waxy s urfaces c haracterize t he relatively s parse Chacibcan c eramics. Carbonate t emper, not l ocally available in the U sumacinta f loodplain, a lso a ppears. These a re the f irst v essels at T rinidad having wide everted r ims, which a re ungrooved. Ceramic change s eems abrupt. D ating f rom the s ame g eneral h orizon is b lotched, c loudy r esist ( Flores Waxy ware, T ierra Mojada Resist) at Nueva E speranza. Temporal equivalence to an E scoba-San Felix-Mamom horizon i s i ndicated. Waxy-surfaced c eramics a re s cattered i n and a djacent to t he l ow s ierras. The Misolha c omplex i s a c onstruct designed to bring together these s omewhat disparate red and white monochromes. Negative traits have importance i n t emporal p lacement: U sulutan-related decoration, l abial o r medial f langes, and s harp medial wall angles a re apparently absent. Even i f the M isolha c omplex e xtends i nto the Late P reclassic, i t i s l acking t raits characteristic o f developed Chicanel c eramics. Round s ide to f laring wall bowls a re common ( Fig. 5 a1,-2,-9-12); exterior walls s ometimes bearing h orizontal f luting. Rim bolstering i s present, and wide e verted rim d ishes, o ccasionally with i nterior r im g rooving, a re represented ( Fig. 5 a4, 5, 13, 15). Thick walled, s hort neck j ars, generally tapering to a b lunt l ip, r esemble those o f the Chacibcan complex ( cf. F igs. 4 b5, 5 a6). Late

Preclassic

I n a nd n ear t he l ow s ierras, a small n umber o f c eramics c an be p laced on a l ate waxy horizon. A t Paso Nuevo, f or example, a brushed, p laited motif, occurring on a t ripod d ish a ssignable to the S ierra ceramic g roup, r esembles rare decoration in the P lancha complex o f Altar de S acrificios ( cf. F ig. 5b3; Adams 1 971: Fig. 1 6h, i ). D eveloped Chicanel c eramics a re a lso k nown a long t he U sumacinta River, i ncluding medial f langes and an e verted r im dish with variant " gutter" grooving ( Fig. 5c).

CLASSIC PERIOD Owing to the absence o f F loral P ark-like developments, the Protoclassic i s n ot i ndicated as a s eparate p eriod i n the chronological chart ( Fig. 2 ). The P icota c eramic complex o f Palenque may, however, extend b ack t o i nclude this horizon. A M iddle P reclassic period i s r ecognized but differs f rom c onstructs emphasizing T eotihuacan and T eotihuacanoid i nfluences ( Parsons 1 969; P asztory 1 978). A more restricted t ime s pan is i ndicated, o nly s lightly g reater than the hiatus in the C lassic Maya i nscriptions ( Willey 1 974). S omewhat impressionistically, d evelopments on this l evel a t Palenque may be c haracterized a s the termination o f the l ocal Early C lassic t radition and those at Trinidad a s u shering i n the 2 12

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

7 2

1 14 1/ 41

9

1 0%

1

12

\

1 3

« 1 4 1 4

« 1 1 14 1 5

a 1

r . f ' s 1

3

1

2

1 19

1 M M‘Pillg

F ig. 5 . Preclassic. a , S ierras/Plains ( early waxy, mostly Misolha c eramic complex). 1 , P aso Nuevo; 2 , 5 , 1 1, 1 3, Palenque; 3 , Chinikiha; 4 , 8 , 1 0, 1 5, Y oxiha; 6 , 9 , P alenque E jido; 7 , 1 2, Miraflores; 1 5, E l S acrificios. 1 , 2 , white; 4 , 5 , 8 -15, red. 8 , 1 4, g roove-incised; 1 -12, f luted. 1 , 5 , 1 2, f ine paste with numerous volcanic g lass i nclusions; 2 , 1 3, 1 4, quartz temper; 3 , 4 , 8 , 1 0, 1 5, c arbonate; 6 , 7 , 9 , 1 1, volcanic a sh. 2 , phytolith-rich ( no volcanic a sh). b , S ierras/Plains ( late waxy). 1 -3 P aso Nuevo. 1 -3, r ed. 3 , brushed. 1 , 2 , volcanic ash t emper; 3 , f ine paste ( highly micaceous). c , U sumacinta f loodplain, L ate P reclassic. 1 , Nueva E speranza; 2 , T ierra B lanca. 1 , 2 , S ierra Red. 2 , volcanic a sh temper.

2 13

R obert L . R ands L ate C lassic. A s will b e made c lear, t he T erminal C lassic i s d efined w ith p rimary r eference t o F ine O range w are, the Chablekal g roup o f F ine G ray ware b eing p laced on a s lightly e arlier horizon ( see a lso R ands e t a l. 1 982). P reclassic-Early C lassic Continuity a nd D isjunction i n Low S ierras: The P icota C omplex o f P alenque

the

Volcanic a sh-tempered waxy wares d isappear i n P icota ( Fig. 6 ), b ut P reclassic c ontinuities i n s hape a nd a pparently o ther c eramic p atterns a re i ndicated. Shape modes c haracteristic o f t he M aya l owlands a re a lso p resent. N evertheless, c omposite s ilhouette f orms a re e ssentially a bsent, a nd t he c eramic a ssemblage l acks s uch markers a s g loss ware, p olychrome, a nd orange s lip. C learly, c hanges u shered i n b y t he d ecline o f t he P reclassic t radition t ake a d irection c ontrastive to t he b etter known F loral P ark-Tzakol developments. P icota d evelopments a re d iscussed in t erms o f P alenque's c eramic t raditions. O ne o f t hese, t he brown p aste t radition, r elates to quartz-tempered pottery i n t he f orm o f o pen m outh v essels. T he t radition m ay h ave P reclassic r oots b ut b ecomes d ominant i n P icota. T ending t o b e w ell oxidized, this medium-to-fine g rained p ottery, a s well a s r elatively i nfrequent f ine t extured c eramics, i ncludes r ed-brown a nd o range-brown p astes ( especially u nder r efiring, 2 .5YR hues predominate). S urfaces a re w ell s moothed. S lip, when p resent, i s matte r ed. This s eems t o b e t he dominant s lip t hroughout the E arly a nd M iddle C lassic ( Picota t hrough Cascada c omplexes). A lthough t his s lip i s s ubject to s evere weathering, i t i s apparently l ess c ommon i n P icota t han i n l ater c omplexes. The b rown p aste t radition l asts t hroughout t he C lassic s equence, a lthough toward i ts c lose d ishes, b asins, a nd b eakers a re well r epresented i n other p aste c lasses. D ishes a re a major f orm c lass i n the b rown paste p ottery o f P icota. H owever, t he d ish tradition i s not s et o r s table; d eep, everted r im vessels a re characteristic b ut merge w ith l arger, s teep walled bowls or b asins ( Fig. 6 e-g) a nd w ith s hallow, d irect r im d ishes ( Fig. 6 h, i , 1 ). A P reclassic h eritage i s p robable f or the a bundant, w idely e verted r ims. The f laring wall t ripod d ishes h ave massive, s olid s lab f eet ( Fig. 6 j, m , r ). Z ones o f v ertical g rooving a re c ommon o n t he e xterior o f t hese e verted r im c eramics ( Fig. 6 a, r ). R ing bases h ave their maximum o ccurrence a t P alenque i n t he P icota c omplex ( Fig. 6 k). T he c ommon Maya a ssociation o f j ars w ith r ough s urface f inish i s p ronounced a t P alenque. Throughout t he j ar s equence, t emper i s c oarse; h eavy t emper d ragging i s p resent on v essel exteriors ( striation i s a lmost u nknown); o pal p hytoliths s ometimes o ccur i n the p aste; a nd pastes 2 14

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

a

1

•

F ig. 6 . P alenque, P icota c eramic complex. a , r ed. a , r , g rooved. a -o, q , quartz t emper; p , c arbonate; r , f ine paste. g , n , o , p hytolith-rich ( no volcanic g lass).

2 15

Robert L . R ands t end toward yellowish hues ( 10YR-7.5YR hues predominate, e specially under r efiring). Accordingly, both s urface f inish and paste composition a re c ontrastive to t he more f inely t extured, r edder c eramics o f the s ustained brown paste t radition. The Early-Middle C lassic j ar t radition i s f urther characterized by short outflared necks, steep s houlder to neck wall angles, and t he u se of carbonate o r quartz temper. ( Quartz g rains a re commonly a minor c onstituent o f the matrix in t he abundant c arbonatet empered j ars.) P icota j ars, i nitiating the t radition, a re s hown in F ig. 6 n-q. I n s ummary, the divergent nature of P icota i s marked, n ot only i n a Mesoamerican setting but, as known at t he p resent t ime, r egionally. Although rare examples o f the P icota s lab f oot are f ound a t a f ew s ites in t he s tudy a rea, t he c omplex i s identified only at P alenque. Basic traditions took s hape a t this t ime which were t o c haracterize much o f t he C lassic pottery of Palenque and adjacent s ites in the l ow s ierras. Early and M iddle C lassic at P alenque: I ncreasing Maya Contacts but Sharp Ceramic Boundaries on the East Developments at P alenque r efer to the Early C lassic Motiepa and Middle C lassic Cascada complexes ( Fig. 7 ). F irst, changes within the l ocal c eramic traditions a re noted, f ollowed by more pronounced c hanges that a pparently r eflect important outside s timuli. The brown paste t radition c ontinues. Non-gloss r ed s lip o ccurs most f requently i n the Motiepa complex, and I doubt i f this i s s imply t he r esult o f better p reservation. For perhaps t he o nly t ime in the P alenque s equence, s lip has an appreciable ocdurrence on t he exterior a s well a s i nterior o f d ishes or p lates, a n observation that holds f or r ed s lip a s well a s f or t he g loss s lip discussed b elow. Resist painting i s a lso a ssociated with the dishes ( Fig. 7 c). Although in a n e arlier r eport ( Rands 1 974) this was attributed to t he P icota c eramic complex, resist may have peaked i n Motiepa, w ith a c arry-over i nto Cascada a nd the Late C lassic. However, because o f poor s urface preservation, i t i s d ifficult t o a ssess developmental t rends in resist or i ts i mportance at Palenque. A lthough present i n the b rown paste d ishes a nd b asins, everted r ims decline i n width a nd frequency f rom P icota t hrough the Middle C lassic. The shift f rom t he l arge P icota everted r ims to s maller r im e version i s a ccompanied, i n Motiepa, by thinner walls, f lat b ases, a nd solid, s ubconical f eet ( Fig. 7 a-d). With some c hanges i n f requency, s imilar f eet o ccur until t he end o f t he P alenque s equence. I n the Cascada complex, bolstered r ims g ain i n f requency at the expense o f rim eversion; this i s 2 16

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

w‚e e . a

F ig. 7 . P alenque, Motiepa and Cascada ceramic complexes. a -g, Motiepa ( non-gloss); h -n, Cascada ( non-gloss); o-r, Motiepa ( gloss), a , k , r ed; c , r esist ( red); m , b lack. o , P aradero F luted; p , Lucha I ncised; q , Aguila Orange; r , Balanza B lack. a -1, quartz temper; m , f ine paste; o -r, c arbonate. j , k, 1 , phytolith-rich ( no volcanic g lass).

2 17

R obert L . R ands s een b oth i n d ishes ( Fig. 7 h, k ) c f. Motiepa basins i n F ig. 7 f, g ).

a nd b asins

( Fig.

7 i,

j ;

The j ar t radition f ollows t he g eneral p atterns e stablished i n P icota, with minor c hanges o ccurring i n the three E arly and Middle C lassic c omplexes. E laborated r ims, t hick i n c omparison t o the v essel wall, a nd q uartz o r c arbonate t emper, c haracterize P icota j ars; u nelaborated r ims a nd c arbonate t emper characterize j ars o f Motiepa; and s imple r ims a nd c arbonate o r quartz t emper a re f ound i n t he C ascada j ars. A d rift toward more s hallow wall angles i s a lso i ndicated ( cf. F igs. 6 n, q , 7 1) t hough, a s c ompared to L ate C lassic d evelopments, t he upper wall r emains s teep. P resenting a s eries o f c ontrasts t o pottery o f t he much more abundant b rown p aste t radition, t he g loss s ubcomplex o f Motiepa m ight a lso b e designated a t rade s ubcomplex. G lossy s urfaces a nd c eramic t ypes c haracteristic o f t he T zakol s phere, t hough r are, a re p resent ( Fig. 7 o-r). T hese o ccur with f ine-textured c arbonate t emper. Pastes d iffer f rom t he l ocal c arbonate t empered j ars i n s everal r espects, i ncluding the e ssential a bsence o f quartz grains a s natural i nclusions i n t he c lay matrix. T here i s only s poradic e xchange i n f eatures c haracteristic o f t he g loss s ubcomplex w ith f unctionally e quivalent s erving pottery o f t he b rown p aste t radition. H owever, t he maximum u tilization i n Motiepa o f c arbonate t emper, both i n g loss c eramics a nd i n j ars, m ay n ot b e c oincidental. I nstead, p erhaps, P alenque's d ecreasing i solation f rom major Maya d evelopments i s reflected o n a g eneral t echnological l evel, a s w ell a s by the a ppearance o f s tylistically d istinct, n onlocally manufactured p ottery. No a bsolute s chism b etween t he subcomplex a nd t he l ocal t raditions i s c laimed. The g loss s ubcomplex o f Motiepa i ncludes w idespread E arly C lassic monochrome t ypes, i ncluding Aguila O range, P aradero F luted, and other members o f t he Balanza c eramic g roup ( Fig. 7 o-r). G loss i s u sually g reater in t he Aguila materials. P olychromes are p oorly r epresented, t hough t he D os Arroyos O range P olychrome t ype i s p resent. C orrespondences a re e specially c lose t o the B ana c omplex o f P iedras N egras ( Holley 1 983), i ncluding tripod basalf lange d ishes ( Fig. 7 q). E xternal c ontacts, though p ossibly o f e qual i mportance, s eem l ess c learly f ocused i n C ascada. A t rade s ubcomplex d istinct f rom t he l ocal t raditions i s n ot a s apparent a s i n Motiepa, perhaps r eflecting a w ider r ange o f contacts a s well a s a g reater reworking a nd i ncorporation o f diffused t raits i nto t he l ocal P alenque c eramic t radition. The t raditions d erived f rom P icota g ive the impression o f l ess v igor than i n Motiepa. F inep aste p ottery i ncreases. M ore s pecifically, t he 2 18

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea o ccasional u se o f specular hematite paint on oranges lipped round s ide bowls r ecalls much stronger developments i n the Balche complex at P iedras Negras. Cascada r im moldings a re s imilar to those o f the earlyf acet Taxinchan complex o f Trinidad ( cf. Figs. 7 m, n , 9 j); a t t he l atter s ite, this shape mode i s strongly associated with the Egoista Resist type, as described f or Becan ( Ball 1 977). As h as b een s een, the P eten G loss ware pottery o f Palenque has connections to the east, with special r eference to P iedras Negras. Frequencies, however, are l ow. I n contrast, i n the l ow s ierras some 3 0 or 4 0 km to the south a nd e ast o f P alenque, Early C lassic ceramics f rom Chinikiha, Chancala, and Yoxiha have s trong eastern ( widespread Maya) a ffiliations, s tanding sharply apart f rom the l ocal p ottery o f P alenque. Important boundary phenomena are i ndicated. These differences are p ronounced in the utilitarian pottery o f Chinikiha and Chancala ( Fig. 8 a1-3), which i s c losely approximated i n the Bana complex o f P iedras Negras ( Holley 1 983). H eavy carbonate t emper i s present i n basins as well a s j ars. The j ars ( usually T riunfo Striated) are h igh necked with bolstered r ims ( contrast Palenque, F igs. 6 n-q, 7 1). R im bolstering a lso characterizes t he Chinikiha-Chancala basins ( Texcoco Unslipped), which l ack t he smooth surfaces consistently present on the Palenque quartz t empered basins ( contrast everted r im e xamples i n F igs. 6 g, 7 f, g). A lso p resent in the eastern s ites are i mpressed f illets, u nknown on this t ime l evel a t P alenque. Additional d ifferences between these s ites a nd Palenque are noted. F igurine h eads f rom Chancala correspond c losely to those f rom Naba deposits at P iedras Negras ( Rands and Rands 1 965; S chlosser 1 978). I n a typical T zakol t reatment, s tylized birds occur on basal f lange bowls at Chinikiha ( Fig. 8 a5) and Yoxiha ( Blom and LaFarge 1 925, vol 1 : P l. 4 ). On t he other hand, t he l ow g loss orange polychromes o f Chinikiha t end toward s imple compositions s uch a s horizontal b anding ( Fig. 8 a6). Unfortunately, a dequate d escription and a ssessment o f the polychromes i s impossible because of the heavy weathering. Late C lassic Palenque

i n

t he

Low

S ierras:

The Otolum C limax at

P alenque emerged a s a major Maya c enter during the O tolum complex ( Rands 1 977). Exotic ceramic imports v irtually disappear, but, f or t he f irst and only t ime, orange-slipped pottery and polychrome c eramics are produced in quantity at ( or n ear) the s ite. These 2 19

Robert L .

3

2

A 4

R ands

1

5

6

a

2

4

5

7

8

9

6

2 20

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea t reatments a re l argely r estricted to a s ingle vessel form, a tripod p late w ith s olid or hollow f eet and exceptionally w ide everted r im ( Fig. 8b1-5). R im eversion reaches d ysfunctional p roportions i n the s ense that easy breakage i s promoted; t he combination o f h eavy rims and relatively t hin walls p lays h avoc. S lip and paint weather badly on t his orange p olychrome ( usually r ed, black, and orange o ver a c ream p rimer). Unlike the g loss surfaces o f M otiepa, better preserved examples indicate a polished r ather t han c olloidal s lip. The wide everted r im c learly s erves a s a major design f ield, vessel interiors bearing s imple geometric patterns. No e xamples o f f igural p ainting are known. As i s the c ase i n the earlier everted r im dishes, t he Otolum p lates have quartz tempered paste, f ine-textured examples a lso occurring. Basins continue i n t his brown paste t radition a lthough, r ather than being f lared or outcurved, walls become vertical ( Fig. 8 b9). C ylinders are a dded to the s hape repertoire ( Fig. 8b6) b ut, except f or p ossible examples o f r esist painting, s eem t o be undecorated. Carbonate t emper d eclines in j ars, being replaced by quartz s and. C hanges i n j ar s hape i nclude a trend toward t hinner walls, s maller o rifices, and relatively h igh, a lmost vertical necks with s lightly everted r ims; very r arely, o range s lip and i ncising are present ( Fig. 8b7). The Early-Middle C lassic j ar tradition has ended as a c ohesive unit, t hough a spects o f i t are maintained. Certain o f t he Otolum developments represent minor v ariation or p lay within e stablished traditions, others mark the e ffective beginning o f Late C lassic ceramic t raditions at P alenque, and s till others are essentially c omplex-specific. The brown p aste t radition carries on; O tolum and Murcielagos j ars a re, h owever, occasionally made in this p aste. A lthough initiated in the Cascada c omplex, t he t rend away f rom carbonate tempering i n j ars a ccelerates i n O tolum, quartz temper p redominating until t he end o f the s equence. B eginning i n Otolum, relatively h igh necked j ars peak i n t he Murcielagos complex ( by most s tandards f or t he C lassic Maya, these necks would, at best, be o f only moderate height). The trend toward l arge basins with vertical upper walls, which commences in

F ig. 8 . C lassic. a , Eastern l ow s ierras, early C lassic. 1 -3, 5 , 6 , Chinikiha; 4 , Yoxiha. 1 -3, Texcoco Unslipped; 5 , D os Arroyos O range Polychrome; 6 , l ow-gloss orange polychrome. 1 -3, 5 , 6 , c arbonate t emper; 4 , volcanic a sh. b , P alenque, O tolum c eramic c omplex. 1 (?), 3 , 8 , orange polychrome; 4 (?), c ream polychrome; 5 (?), red-onorange. 7 , i ncised o range. 1 , 2 , 4 -6, 8 , 9 , quartz temper; 3 , 7 , f ine paste. 7 , phytolith-rich ( no volcanic g lass). 2 21

Robert L . R ands O tolum, peaks i n the Balunte c omplex. Cylindrical and s ubcylindrical v essels continue through Balunte. E verted rims also continue b ut, on p lates a nd d ishes, are m arkedly reduced a fter their extraordinary development i n t he O tolum complex. Locally made o range p olychrome i s, apparently, a lmost exclusively confined to Otolum . Although d ivergent Early C lassic occupations have been noted f or the s outheast, O tolum i s the f irst o f Palenque's C lassic ceramic complexes known to b e approximated a t a number o f s ites i n the l ow s ierras. However, typical Palenque materials a re s till l acking f rom Chinikiha, Chancala, a nd Yoxiha, s uggesting c ontinued independence f rom P alenque's sphere o f c eramic i nfluence. More work i s needed. Middle and Late C lassic in the Taxinchan Complex o f Trinidad

U sumacinta F loodplain:

The

The Taxinchan c omplex at Trinidad i s divided i nto an early facet, more or l ess equivalent in t ime t o C ascada, and a l ate f acet, the temporal equivalent o f Otolum. T he early facet i s poorly represented, a nd, with better s ampling, a s eparate c eramic complex might be recognized. Although occurring i n l evels a ttributable to both f acets, the Egoista Resist type i s best represented in t he early facet ( Fig. 9 j, k ). The t ype i s known f rom Becan, where it i s p laced i n t he B ejuco complex and i s characterized a s a Middle C lassic horizon marker ( Ball 1 977:82). S imilarities i n s hape extend to the Cascada complex of P alenque. Additional r esist types a re present i n l ate-facet Taxinchan ( e.g., F ig. 9 1). Orange p olychrome i ncreases in the l ate facet, varying degrees o f r esemblance existing with t he Saxche and Palmar types. S urfaces a re g lossy and designs geometric. I n the bowls, a y ellow-red paste with a sh temper or i nclusions i s common ( under r efiring, 5 YR h ue predominates). I n c omparison t o the b owls, a l arger proportion o f the d ishes i s quartz tempered w ith redder paste ( refired or unrefired, generally 2 .5YR h ue). F rom these and other data, i t appears that patterns of c lay procurement and/or exchange s et apart the b owls a nd d ishes. Wide everted r im d ishes r esemble those of t he O tolum complex at P alenque, o ften having g eneralized c hemical s imilarities to this f orm a s known i n the l ow s ierras. However, l ong-lived r ed-on-cream b eveled r im d ishes o f T rinidad ( not i llustrated) f it c loser to t he compositional pattern o f t he bowls ( hues again a re in t he 7 .5YR-10YR range, u sually r efiring to 5 YR). In addition to the bowl-dish d istinctions, which a re not shared with Palenque, Late C lassic d ifferences between Trinidad and P alenque a re pronounced. This i s e xemplified 2 22

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

a

• ; j-

,

\ I7 ,A 07/7, 2- 1

F ig. 9 . Usumacinta f loodplain ( Trinidad), T axinchan c eramic complex. f , S axche Orange Polychrome; j , k , E goista Resist. a , c -g, i , orange polychrome; h , cream, 1 , r esist ( orange), p , orange. m-o, i ncised; q , t rianglei mpressed. a , e , g , h , p , q , quartz temper; b , c , j , volcanic a sh; d , quartz s and with s parse volcanic g lass; f , 1 , c arbonate; i , k , m , o , f ine paste with volcanic i nclusions. m , n , ancestral F ine Orange; o , ancestral F ine Gray.

2 23

R obert L . R ands i n t he T axinchan b asin a nd j ar s hapes, a s shown i n F ig. 9 p, q . I n s harp c ontrast to P alenque, s triated, v olcanica sh t empered j ars c haracterize T axinchan and l ater developments a t T rinidad. Impressed j ar collars are c ommon o n t hese l evels but a re a lmost unknown at P alenque until a fter t he O tolum c omplex; even t hen they are r are. L ate f acet T axinchan d eposits i nclude a f ew s herds that a ppear a ncestral t o, o r a re e arly e xamples o f, F ine Orange a nd F ine G ray wares ( Fig. 9m-o). F ine v olcanic g lass i s s ometimes present, a pparently a s n atural i nclusions i n t he c lay. S imilar g lass i nclusions c haracterize t he p aste o f additional untempered T rinidad p ottery, o f t he T axinchan a nd other c omplexes; f ine paste c eramics h ave a l ong h istory a t t he s ite. S ubsequent F loodplain:

C lassic D evelopments i n The Naab C omplex o f Trinidad

t he

U sumacinta

The N aab c omplex a t T rinidad i s h ere divided into e arly and l ate f acets. D ifferences may b e s ufficient t o j ustify t he r ecognition o f s eparate c eramic complexes. I n a g eneral way, l ate-facet N aab corresponds to part o f t he J onuta h orizon o f B erlin ( 1956). ( See t he provisional modification o f J onuta advanced i n R ands 1 973, but t his i s n ot an a dequate r esolution o f c eramic c hange a t t he beginning o f t he T erminal C lassic.) As N aab i s c ompared w ith Taxinchan, r ed, b lack, a nd u nslipped s urfaces t end to r eplace orange i n the s erving p ottery. A h ard, c ream-white s lip i s occasionally p resent i n both c omplexes. D eclining i n e arly-facet Naab, p olychromy may b e t otally a bsent b y t he end o f t he c omplex. R esist p ainting c ontinues ( Fig. 1 0a3), g aining i mportance r elative t o p olychrome. S urface a lteration s uch a s i ncising and f luting i ncreases ( Fig. 1 0a2-4). Everted r ims c ontinue on Naab d ishes ( Fig. 1 0a1), w idth o f the eversion s howing a wide r ange o f variation. S ome o f t he e arly f acet p ottery, a nd t o l esser degree t hat o f T axichan, i s r eminiscent o f s late ware i n s urface c haracteristics.

F ig. 1 0. a , U sumacinta F loodplain ( Trinidad), Naab c eramic c omplex. 5 , C himbote Cream P olychrome. 2 , b lack; 3 , s mudged-incised r esist ( orange). 2 , 3 , i ncised; 4 , f luted. i , q uartz t emper; 2 , f ine p aste with v olcanic i nclusions; 3 , v olcanic a sh; 4 , f ine paste; 5 , f ine paste w ith c arbonate i nclusions. 4 , p hytolith-rich ( no v olcanic g lass). b , P alenque, Murcielagos c eramic complex. 2 , r esist ( cream); 5 , 8 , b lack. 4 , t humb impressed; 1 0, i ncised. 1 -4, 6 , 9 , 1 0, quartz t emper; 5 , f ine p aste; 7 , 8 , f ine p aste w ith s parse volcanic i nclusions.

2 24

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

e g y

1

3

4

a

1

5

L i Me leel

N e r — J

4

\ li n i e f l morzz

5

6 7

9

8

1 0

2 25

Robert L . R ands The f ine paste tradition i ntensifies, f irst i n cream p aste pottery and, by l ate Naab, i n F ine Gray ware. Until the Early Postclassic S ilho horizon, Fine Orange ware i s unimportant. Thus, continuity c annot be t raced a t Trinidad between the " ancestral" F ine Orange and F ine Gray o f Taxinchan and the l ater occurrences of these wares. Post-Otolum Developments in Murcielagos Complex o f Palenque

t he

Low

Sierras:

T he

Within the s ustained brown p aste tradition, t he wide everted r im d ish or p late, which i n Otolum held a monopoly on c eramic decoration, disappears. D irect rim p lates a re common in Murcielagos ( Fig. 1 0b3, 5, 6, 9) and r im eversion, a lso c ommon, r eturns t o a s ize a nd s hape c onfiguration reminiscent o f the E arly C lassic Motiepa d ishes ( cf. F igs. 7 a-d, 1 0b1). The height-width r atio i s, however, reduced. By the c lose o f t he Murcielagos c omplex, basins a chieve e ssentially t he size a nd shape that, i n t his paste, carries through B alunte ( cf. Figs. 1 1a3, 1 1b2). I n the s ame paste, a spectacular Murcielagos e laboration occurs i n ornate, f langed-incensario stands, d evelopments which may h ave b een i nitiated a s e arly a s t erminal Otolum ( Rands et a l. 1 979; B ishop e t al. 1 982). Polychromy declines sharply i n Murcielagos, a nd r esist may be the principal, or a t l east most e laborate, f orm o f p ainted decoration ( Fig. 1 0b2; Rands 1 973: F ig. 2 7). Techniques o f s urface a lteration a ttain n ew importance, s ome c ontinuing i nto Balunte; these include the u se o f impressed f illets, c ircumferential incised l ines, a nd i ncised hachure ( cf. F igs. 1 0b4, 10, 1 1a2, 5, 1 2a, c , f ). Characteristic o f Murcielagos are vertical grooving ( Fig. 1 1a4) and complex i ncised designs, o ften o n c ream s lip cylinders ( Fig. 1 1a2; R ands 1 973:Fig. 2 8). O n t he cylinders, horizontal f luting s ometimes s erves t o delimit design f ields. Within Murcielagos, a drift i s discernible i n serving bowls. O ften f ine t extured, these thin walled vessels t end t o b ecome d eeper with more markedly f laring s ides, t rends that anticipate the Balunte c omplex ( cf. F ig. 1 0b7, 8, 10, 12). Relaxing o f boundary phenomena i n the low s ierras i s possible on the Murcielagos horizon, yet ceramic a ssemblages are by n o means carbon copies of P alenque. Among other f actors, d ifferences may r eflect s ampling d istinctions i n c eramic u se at s ites of different s ize o r s ocial complexity, and i ntensity o f contact. T hat sheer d istance i s a f actor i s s uggested, f or example, by the probability that Chancala moves more c losely i nto t he P alenque ceramic orbit than does more d istant Chinikiha.

2 26

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

2

5 4

1

3

a

1

5

4

. . . . . . . . 3

2

F ig. 1 1. Palenque, Late C lassic. a , Murcielagos c eramic c omplex. 2 , c ream; 5 , r ed. 2 , 5 , i cised; 4 , grooved. 1 3 , quartz t emper; 4 , f ine paste; 5 , f ine t extured with n umerous volcanic inclusions. 1 , 2 , 4 , phytolith-rich ( no v olcanic g lass). b , Balunte ceramic c omplex. 7 , Chablekal Gray ( black surface). 1 -6, quartz t emper. 1 ,3, 4 , phytolith-rich ( no volcanic g lass).

2 27

R obert L . R ands L ate C lassic S tability a nd Change i n Balunte Complex o f P alenque

t he Low S ierras:

T he

A d ivision o f the B alunte c omplex i nto early and l ate f acets a ppears u seful. C ontinuity with p revious patterns i s s ufficient i n c ertain c lasses o f p ottery t o suggest t hat the e arly f acet c ould b e r egarded a s an e xtension o f Murcielagos. Other c eramic c lasses s how discontinuity, s ome o f the n ew p atterns l asting t hroughout B alunte. This i s a r epeated p roblem i n a rchaeological p eriodization and, i n a ttempting t o r esolve i t, I h ere use a s lightly d ifferent c utoff point f or t he Murcielagos-Balunte s eparation than was employed p reviously ( Rands 1 974). B eyond t he c ommonly e ncountered p roblems o f chronological a ssessment, i t appears that d ifficulties i n working o ut a s atisfactory s ynthesis r eflect a h igh degree o f c ultureh istorical c omplexity s hortly b efore t he b eginning o f t he T erminal C lassic p eriod. We a re not yet at t he C lassic Maya c ollapse b ut a re a pproaching i t. Changes w ithin t he s ustained b rown p aste t radition a re f irst o utlined, f ollowed by a s ummary o f d evelopments c haracterizing t he buff/brown/gray-paste s ubcomplex. T his approach, i f f ollowed o ut i n d etail, would y ield a f ourfold division o f B alunte: e arly a nd l ate f acets c rosscut by t raditional a nd novel a pproaches to c eramics. C ultural p henomena, o f c ourse, a re n ever quite t hat neat, and i n s ome r espects the l ate f acet may r eflect a r eassertion o f t raditional c eramic b ehavior. Unslipped monochromes d ominate the t raditional brown p aste pottery. D ishes o f t he e arly f acet s how c ontinuities w ith Murcielagos, i ncluding small t o medium f lat everted r ims ( cf. F igs. 1 0b1-3, 1 1b5). Characteristics o f l ate f acet d ishes i nclude l arge hollow f eet a nd r ounded, downward everted r ims ( Fig. 1 1b6). A lthough p resent i n Murcielagos, l arge, v ertical walled b asins a ngling t o a f lat base a re most c ommon i n B alunte ( early and l ate f acets); a t rend f rom bolstered t o rolled o r s lightly everted r ims i s i ndicated ( Fig. 1 1a3, b 2). Thumb-impressed f illets s ometimes o ccur on t his f orm ( Rands 1 974: F ig. 1 3e). B rown p aste d ishes a nd s erving bowls a re o ften burnished, and t his may be a B alunte d iagnostic. H owever, s pecimens s howing t his s urface f inish o ccur i n c ontexts p romoting g ood p reservation, a nd a s imilar polished s urface may o riginally h ave b een p resent on many o f t he matte-appearing c eramics dating f rom e arlier complexes. E arly f acet B alunte i s marked by t he e ffective a ppearance or r ise i n f requency o f n ew p aste c lasses, here g rouped i nto a s ingle s ubcomplex. S ome, s uch as F ine Gray ware, h ave l ong d istance a ffiliations. O ther c lasses o f p ottery, t empered a nd untempered, i ndicate a n i ntensification o f s hort d istance exchange o r, a s a 2 28

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea possible a lternative, t he s ubstantial utilization o f n ew c lay s ources i n l ocal p roduction. B ecause o f s tylistic d ifferences f rom f unctionally-equivalent s hape c lasses o f t he b rown p aste t radition, p arsimony f avors e xchange. The designation o f t hese n ew c eramics a s a b uff/brown/gray-paste s ubcomplex r ecognizes overlap with and differences f rom the b rown p aste t radition. P astes t end toward y ellow ( 7.5YR-10YR r efired hues a re c ommon a nd 5 YR well r epresented, c ontrasting with 2 .5YR-5YR o f the t raditional c eramics). The t empering material i s quartz, a s i n the b rown p aste t radition. A lthough a r ange i n o ther technological a nd p etrographic d ata e xists within t he s ubcomplex, c ommonalities c ontrasting with t he t raditional b rown p aste p ottery a re emphasized h ere. Except f or t he r educed F ine Gray ware, thin, s harply d efined oxidized s urface l ayers a ccompanied b y wide b lack c ores a re c haracteristic ( see Rye 1 981:117-118). F eldspar a nd mica i nclusions a re l ess a bundant i n t he c lay matrix and more h ighly w eathered. Opal phytoliths, d erived f rom s ilica-accumulator p lants, occur i n r elatively h eavy c oncentrations. That t he phytoliths a re n atural i nclusions i n t he c lay, r ather t han r esulting f rom t he u se o f p lant p roducts a s t emper, i s i ndicated by c ovariation w ith other p etrographic v ariables, p aste c olor a nd c hemical p rofiles ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980; R ands and B argielski 1 986). Phytolith-rich materials o f t he U sumacinta f loodplain, which c ontain heavy c oncentrations o f volcanic g lass a nd a re c hemically a nd s tylistically d istinctive, a re n ot i ncluded i n this s ubcomplex. I t s hould f urther b e n oted t hat a r ough approximation o f p hytolith c oncentrations i s obtained w ith t he b inocular m icroscope, s o t he u se o f t his variable i s n ot d ependent o n thinsection a nalysis. I n c onnection w ith p aste color ( unrefired o r r efired) a nd p resence/absence o f b lack c ores, e xtensive t echnological s ampling t o a ssess t he b uff/brown/gray s ubcomplex i s possible. R efined i nferences, o f c ourse, r equire a l inkage o f these a pproaches w ith d ata f rom t he smaller s amples h aving p etrographic a nd t race e lemental analysis. Monochrome c eramics, mostly unslipped, p redominate i n t he buff/brown/gray s ubcomplex a s well a s i n t he t raditional p ottery o f B alunte. Smudged b lack s urfaces a nd incising a re, however, much better r epresented i n s erving vessels o f t he s ubcomplex. P resent i n t he e arly f acet, s ubcomplex d ishes c ompare c losely i n s hape to those o f c oeval b rown p aste examples s uch a s t hat i n F ig. 1 1b5. S ubcomplex d ishes a re l argely l acking f rom t he l ate f acet ( although s ee F ig. 1 1b7). T hroughout B alunte, t he b asin i s common i n b oth t he s ubcomplex and t he t raditional brown p aste. U sually l ight buff, t he s ubcomplex b asins a re c haracterized b y w ide everted r ims a nd e xterior s urfaces s lightly r oughened by t emper dragging ( Fig. 1 1b1; c ontrast 1 1b2). Jars d ominate t he s ubcomplex i n both f acets o f 2 29

R obert L . R ands B alunte, a pproaching the s tatus o f a " type f ossil." I n c ontrast t o a L ate C lassic t rend, n ecks a re s hort a nd s tubby; i n c ontrast to t he E arly-Middle C lassic j ar t radition, n ecks a re v ertical a nd upper w alls g ently s loping ( cf. F igs. 6 n-q, 7 1, 8 b7, l lal, 1 1b3, 4). Temper i s c oarser t han e arlier i n t he L ate C lassic a nd t emper d ragging more p ronounced; c onsistently quartz, t emper d iffers f rom most j ars o f the E arly and M iddle C lassic. An a ssociation o f two o f the s ubcomplex d iagnostics, o pal p hytoliths a nd " buff" p astes, o ccurs with earlier j ars, b ut this i s g reatly s trengthened i n B alunte. I ncluded i n t he s ubcomplex a re materials s howing varying d egrees o f a ffiliation w ith the Chablekal c eramic g roup o f F ine G ray ware. The f requency o f t ransitional s pecimens i s, i n f act, one o f t he reasons f or t reating F ine G ray a s p art o f t he s ubcomplex. S ome p ieces a pparently antedate B alunte, a nd s ubcylindrical v essels-f lat b ase bowls a nd b eakers--suggest a progression f rom Murcielagos ( cf. F igs. 1 0b8, 10, 12). The c ombination o f i ncising a nd d entate s tamping i n the s tyle o f Telchac C omposite i s e specially well r epresented, a lthough petals, s ometimes a lternating w ith s tamped, X -shaped m otifs, a re d istinctive ( Figs. 1 2a, b ). The t ypical monkey d esign i n F ig. 1 2e o ccurs on aberrant p aste. I n a ddition to bowls and b eakers, T elchac-like d ecoration o ccurs s poradically o n c ylinders a nd j ars ( Rands 1 974: F igs. 1 0a, 1 2c). S mudged b lack monochrome s urfaces a re c ommon a nd, o n r efiring, o ccasionally r eveal a z oned white s lip; t his t reatment i s more u sual i n the approximately c ontemporaneous T amay s ubcomplex o f Chacalhaaz a t P iedras N egras ( Holley 1 983). The C hablekal-related p ottery o f P alenque i ncludes f ine, l ight b uff p aste w ith quartz t empered t exture; even t he r educed f ine paste c eramics t end t o b e c hemically d istinctive f or Fine G ray ware ( Bishop a nd Rands 1 982). Thus, P alenque's F ine G ray-like c eramics a re d istinctive i n a b roader Maya p erspective a nd i n r elationship t o t he b rown p aste t radition at t he s ite. O f i nterest, t herefore, i s a b lack, g ray p aste d ish s imilar i n s hape t o F ine G ray e xamples f rom T ecolpan, T abasco, and t o a bundant p lates o f t he b rown p aste t radition i n l ate-facet B alunte ( Figs. 1 1b6, 7; B erlin 1 956: F ig. 4 w, x ). T erminal

C lassic

a nd P ostclassic

H orizon Markers

S tylistic a ntecedents o f F ine O range ware h ave b een d iscussed e lsewhere, w ith t he r ecognition t hat t his p ottery i s f oreign to P alenque a nd i ts c eramic z one ( Rands 1 973). The poorly r epresented H uipale complex, a s r ecognized i n t he l ow s ierras, d raws on F ine Orange p ottery f rom P alenque a nd adjacent s ites to achieve what A dams ( 1973:133) r efers t o a s " usage c omplementarity." P ottery o f t he S ilho c eramic g roup i s known f rom P alenque a nd o ther l ocations i n t he l ow s ierras. A lso, a f ew 2 30

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea

a

F ig. 1 2. P alenque, F ine Gray ware and d ecorative a ffiliates, a , c , f , l ate Murcielagos contexts; b , d , e , g , Balunte. a , b , d , e , i ncised-and-dentate-stamped T elchac Composite style ( d, Telchac Composite type o f F ine G ray ware). a , b lack; e , red. c , f , i ncised; g , g rooved. a-f, f ine paste; g , f ine paste w ith sparse v olcanic i nclusions. P aste c olor ( unrefired: a , r ed; b , e , orange-brown; c , f , gray; d , g , gray-brown. 2 31

R obert L . R ands P lumbate s herds h ave b een f ound S acrificios, i n the l ow s ierras.

a t

M iraflores

and E l

F ine O range ware i s a lmost u nknown f rom s ites in t he i ntermediate p lains, s uggesting t hat p opulation growth t oward t he end o f t he L ate C lassic was not s ustained. H owever, an explosive r ise o f t he ware ( Altar a nd B alancan c eramic g roups) o ccurs i n T erminal C lassic l evels a t C alatrava, i n t he U sumacinta f loodplain. The P ostclassic M atillas g roup i s a lso r epresented a t the s ite. Terminal C lassic d evelopments a re u nknown a t T rinidad, a lthough p ottery o f the S ilho group i s present. T he B rookhaven N ational L aboratory's p rogram o f n eutron a ctivation analysis o f f ine p aste c eramics ( Sabloff 1 982) h as i ndicated g eneral u niformity i n F ine O range w are p roduced i n the U sumacinta drainage, a lthough a r efined l evel o f a nalysis r ecognizes t he existence o f f ive geographically-spaced compositional groups. A s d efined i n t he p resent p aper, t he U sumacinta f loodplain s eems t o b e i ncluded i n t he h omeland o f two o f these c hemical p aste c ompositional r eference g roups ( CPCRUs). H owever, w ith t he n otable e xception o f the S ilho c eramic g roup, F ine O range ware s ampled f rom P alenque a nd other s ites i n t he l ow s ierras d iverges f rom the U sumacinta p attern ( see details i n t he c hapter by B ishop a nd Rands 1 982). On t his l evel o f a nalysis, the i nsularity o r pecularity o f P alenque c eramics, a s observed for F ine G ray ware i n t he B alunte c omplex and f or c eramic p atterns o n e arlier h orizons, s eems t o l ast i nto t he T erminal C lassic p eriod.

CONCLUDING REMARKS D ata p resentation h as b een s elective rather t han c omprehensive. R edundancy i n t ext and i llustrations e mphasizes variation w ithin c eramic t raditions a nd horizon m arkers r ather t han documenting l ess diagnostic t ypes a nd modes. I mplications o f t he t raditions f or production a nd e xchange h ave n ot b een f ollowed up h ere, a lthough t he d etailed p aste c ompositional a nd t echnological i nvestigations hold s pecial promise f or s uch problems. The f ollowing c omments a ddress t he t radition c oncept. Mode-variation w ithin a t radition serves as a n l ow-level, e laborative c hange. P resumably, t his i ndex to k ind o f c hange i s l ikely t o i nvolve t he reworking o f b orrowed t raits, a ccommodating t hem t o t hose expectations o f c eramic b ehavior t hat u nderlie a t radition. O f course, s ome c hanges may b e i nternal i n t he s ense that d iffusion i s n ot i nvolved o r t hat t he o utside s timuli c ame f rom p otters ( or c onsumers) s haring t he l ocal t radition. I ncomplete r eplication f urthers this p rocess. The r esult, i n a ny c ase, i s perceived a rchaeologically a s minor 2 32

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea modifications t hat may t ake the f orm o f " drift." The Early-Middle .C lassic j ar t radition o f P alenque exemplifies this t ype o f change. On t he o ther h and, a brupt c hanges may o ccur i n the s trength o f a t radition, r eflecting i ntensified culture contact o r s ocioeconomic r eorientations a s t he e arlier patterns come i nto c ompetition w ith a lternative approaches. Concepts o f e thnic i dentity o r s tylistic i nformation exchange ( Hodder 1 979; Wobst 1 977) may b e e specially appropriate a t s uch t imes. Now, h owever, I would s imply p oint o ut t hat abrupt c hanges, a s v iewed i n a rchaeological p erspective, may t ake the f orm o f f undamentally d ifferent t rajectories. One s cenario l eads to t he d isruption a nd t ermination o f the t radition. T he end o f t he P reclassic waxy wares would be an example. Decline i n t he t radition i s measured by the f requency o f a lternatives t o waxy s urface f inish--polychromes i n P eten, m atte r ed s lip o r g rooved unslipped pottery a t P alenque. A s econd s cenario s upposes t hat t he t radition l oses importance t emporarily b ut l ater r egains v igor, b eing maintained i n only s lightly a ltered f orm a fter the a lternatives h ave d isappeared f rom t he l ocal a rchaeological r ecord. I n t his s ituation t he s ubcomplex, a s used i n t he p resent p aper, h as t heoretical a nd methodological s ignificance. I r efer t o two s ubcomplexes o f P alenque. O ne i s t he g loss s ubcomplex o f M otiepa, i n which s timuli, apparently f rom P iedras Negras o r c eramically r elated s ources, p rovided an a rchaeologically v isible b ut r elatively s hortl ived a lternative t o P alenque's b rown paste t radition. P roblem-oriented excavation, d irected t oward e lite a nd r esidential c ontexts, i s n eeded t o e xamine p rocesses u nderlying c ultural change and t he maintenance o f c ultural s tability. T he c ase i n t he buff/brown/gray p aste s ubcomplex o f l ate Murcielagos a nd B alunte i s s omewhat d ifferent. The s ubcomplex c oexists with t he b rown p aste t radition, b ut we do n ot h ave s atisfactory t emporal p erspective t o a ssess i ts consequences. Would t he b rown p aste t radition h ave b een maintained had i t n ot b een f ollowed c losely b y t he C lassic Maya c ollapse, o r a re we d ealing w ith a s eries o f events a nticipatory t o and i nterwoven w ith t he c ollapse? What i s t he h istorical r elationship o f P alenque's r elatively r apid exposure to t he F ine Gray a nd, s ubsequently, F ine O range phenomena? I f w e are dealing w ith events that may be c haracterized a s s ite i ntrusion, what w ere t he mechanisms by which a s izeable f low o f s ubcomplex B alunte c eramics, i ncluding u tilitarian p ottery, was maintained? R elated t o these q uestions but on a nother l evel o f analysis, what a re t he s ocial, e conomic, a nd h istorical f actors underlying t he d ata that h ave l ed me to l ump, i n a s ingle s ubcomplex, t he e xotic F ine G ray w are w ith j ars and basins t hat s urely w ere produced i n t he g eneral r egion o f P alenque? 2 33

R obert L . R ands This l eads to a f inal observation, regarding t he " reality" o f s uch constructs a s traditions a nd s ubcomplexes. C learly, these can b e formulated i n d ifferent ways, a ccording to d iverse problems, with t he hope of achieving increasing approximations of p ast social and h istorical phenomena. Among these a pproaches, t echnological and paste compositional studies provide s pecial perspectives and s trengths. On this l evel we a re dealing with environmental a s well as cultural factors ( Arnold 1 985), but t he term tradition does n ot s eem i nappropriate in a theoretical f ramework that posits c lose i nteraction between man and nature. I deally, t echnology and style s hould be i ntegrated i n t he i nvestigation o f c eramic traditions, b ut f or P alenque s tyles o f vessel shape have to be s ubstituted, to a s ignificant d egree, f or s tyles o f s urface f inish. The avenues f or communicating type-variety i nformation are h indered by this a pproach, a nd this i s unfortunate. However, an emphasis o n vessel form a nd f unction may be overdue.

Acknowledgments This material i s based on work s upported by t he National S cience Foundation under g rants G S-254, G S-1455X, and BSN 7 6-03397. Support f or the present paper h as a lso been p rovided by t he O ffice of Research Development a nd Administration, S outhern I llinois University a t Carbondale. The l ong-term investigation o f Palenque-area c eramics has, however, drawn on multiple s ources o f i nstitutional s upport a s well a s t he c ollaboration o f numerous i ndividuals. Extended a cknowledgments will b e g iven in the comprehensive report.

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PARSONS, 1 967

PASZTORY, 1 978

RANDS, 1 973

2 5.

D . W. Investigations at Edzna, Campeche, World Archaeological Foundation ( Provo: Brigham Young University).

HODDER, 1 979

LOWE, 1 977

Papers

State i n the C lassic Maya Dumbarton Oaks).

Lowlands

L . A. Bilbao, Guatemala. Milwaukee Public Museum Publications in Anthropology 1 1, 1 2. Milwaukee. E . ( editor) Middle C lassic University).

Mesoamerica

( New York:

Columbia

R .L. The C lassic Maya Collapse: Usumacinta Zone and the Northwestern Periphery," in The Classic Maya Collapse, ed. T .P. Culbert, pp. 1 65-206. School o f American Research Advanced Seminar .Series ( Albuquerque: University o f New Mexico).

1 974

" The Ceramic Sequence at Palenque, Chiapas," Mesoamerican Archaeology: New Approaches, ed. Hammond, pp. 5 1-76. ( London: Duckworth).

1 977

" The R ise o f C lassic Maya Civilization in the Northwestern Z one: I solation and Intergration," 2 36

i n N .

C eramic P atterns a nd T raditions i n t he P alenque A rea i n The Origins of Maya Civilization, ed. R . E. W. Adams, pp. 1 59-180. S chool of American Research Advanced S eminar S eries. ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press). RANDS, 1 986

R .L., AND M . M. BARGIELSKI " Opal Phytoliths, Paste Color, and Chemical Composition: Covariation in Ceramics of the Palenque Region, Mexico," paper presented at the 5 1st Annual Meeting o f the Society for American Archaeology, New Orleans.

RANDS, 1 980

R .L., AND R .L. B ISHOP " Resource Procurement Z ones and Patterns o f Ceramic Exchange in the Palenque Region, Mexico," in Models and Methods in Regional Exchange, ed. R .E. Fry, pp. 1 9-46. SAA Papers 1 . ( Washington: Society for American Archaeology).

RANDS, 1 979

R .L., R .L. BISHOP, AND G . HARBOTTLE " Thematic and Compositional Variation in Palenque-Region I ncensarios," i n Tercera Meso Redonda de Palenque, eds. M . Robertson and D . Jeffers, pp. 1 9-30. ( Monterey, California: PreColumbian Art Research Center).

RANDS, 1 982

R .L., R .L. BISHOP, AND J . A. SABLOFF "Maya F ine Paste Ceramics: An Archaeological Perspective," in Excavations at Seibal: Analyses of F ine Paste Ceramics, ed. J . A. S abloff, pp. 3 15-338. Memoirs o f the Peabody Museum, vol. 1 5(2) ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

RANDS, 1 965

R .L., AND B .C. RANDS " Pottery Figurines of the Maya Lowlands," in Handbook of Middle American Indians 2 , eds. G . R. Willey and R . Wauchope, pp. 5 35-560. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

RICE, 1 976

RYE, 1 981

P . M. " Rethinking the Antiquity 4 1:538-543.

Ware

Concept,"

American

O . W.

SABLOFF, 1 982

Pottery Technology. Taraxacum Archaeology 4 . ( Washington, D .C.). J . A. ( editor) Excavations at S eibal: Ceramics. Memoirs o f 1 5(2) ( Cambridge, Mass.,

S CHLOSSER, A .L. 1 978 " Ceramic

Maya

Lowland 2 37

Manuals

on

Analyses o f Fine Paste the Peabody Museum, vol. Harvard University).

Figurine

Develpment with

R obert L . R ands Special Guatemala," University, WEST, 1 969

Reference to Ph.D. diss., C arbondale.

P iedras S outhern

R .C., N .P. P SUTY, AND B .G. THOM The T abasco Lowlands o f Southeastern Coastal S tudies S eries 2 7 ( Baton Louisiana S tate University).

Negras, I llinois

Mexico. Rouge:

WILLEY, 1 974

G .R. " The C lassic Maya H iatus: A Rehearsal for the Collapse?" i n Mesoamerican Archaeology: New Approaches, ed. N . H ammond, pp. 4 17-430. ( London: Duckworth).

WILLEY, 1 967

G .R., T .P. CULBERT, AND R . E. W. ADAMS " Maya L owland Ceramics: A Report from the 1 965 Guatemala C ity Conference," American Antiquity 3 2:289-315.

WOBST, 1 977

H . M. " Stylistic B ehavior and I nformation Exchange," i n For t he D irector: Research E ssays in H onor o f James B . Griffin, ed. C . C leland, pp. 3 17-342. Anthropological P apers 6 1 ( Ann Arbor: University of Michigan).

2 38

Maya Ceramics Papers from the 1985 Maya Ceramic Conference edited by

Prudence M. Rice and Robert J. Sharer Part ii

BAR International Series 345(ii) 1987

B.A.R. 122 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 7BP, UK

GENERAL EDITORS A.R. Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R. Walker, M.A.

BAR-S345(ii),1987 'Maya Ceramics', Part ii

©

The Individual

Authors, 1987

The authors’ moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9781407388458 (Volume I) paperback ISBN 9781407388465 (Volume II) paperback ISBN 9780860544449 (Volume set) paperback ISBN 9781407346182 (Volume set) e-format DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860544449 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

Part

REGIONAL

AND

CHRONOLOGICAL AND

1 1.

PRECLASSIC

1 2.

REGIONAL AND

1 3.

CERAMIC

AND

MAYA HIGHLANDS

S harer a nd D avid W . IN

EL

S edat

241

Alain Ichon

2 77

QUICHE

GUATEMALA

DEVELOPMENT

ALTA VERAPAZ,

POSTCLASSIC

THE

SALAMA VALLEY,

DEVELOPMENT

CERAMIC

HIGHLANDS,

2 :

PERIPHERY

FROM THE

GUATEMALA R obert J .

BAJA VERAPAZ,

REGIONAL

STUDIES

SOUTHEASTERN

CERAMICS

BAJA VERAPAZ,

ii

IN

THE

NORTHERN

GUATEMALA:

CLASSIC

MATERIAL Marie C harlotte Arnauld

1 4.

RECENT

RESEARCH

OF

SOUTHEASTERN

THE

COAST

OF

ON

THE

PRECLASSIC

HIGHLANDS

CERAMICS

AND

PACIFIC

GUATEMALA Arthur A .

1 5.

COPAN AND

ITS

NEIGHBORS:

INTERACTION REFLECTED WESTERN

HONDURAN

THE

TERMINAL

PALENQUE, OF

THE

IN

PATTERNS CLASSIC

D emarest

OF PERIOD

U rban and Edward M .

CLASSIC

HONDURAS:

BOCA CERAMIC

CERAMICS

OF

Schortman

1 7.

CERAMIC IN

TOPICS

SYSTEMS:

TYPE-VARIETY

OUTLIER

SPHERE

LATE

PRECLASSIC

POTTERY FROM

IN

THE

IN MAYA

STUDIES

H enderson a nd R icardo Agurcia F .

DEVELOPMENT MAYA

OF

LOWLANDS:

431

UNSLIPPED THE

EVIDENCE

EL MIRADOR

A RE-EVALUATION

OF

H ansen a nd D onald W .

PROTOCLASSIC

ORANGE

F orsyth

THE

SIGNIFICANCE

THE

CERAMICS

OF

OF THE

VOLCANIC CENTRAL

ASH MAYA

439

WARES

James E . 2 0.

3 97

FACILITATING COMPARISON

R ichard D . 1 9.

POTTERY

Joyce

ANALYSIS

J ohn S . 1 8.

3 41

CERRO

A SOUTHEASTERN

R osemary A .

SPECIAL

329

POTTERY

P atricia A . 1 6.

307

Brady

TEMPERING

469

IN

LOWLANDS

Anabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

479

2 1.

SOUTHEAST MAYA POLYCHROME DISTRIBUTION, AND STYLE

POTTERY:

PRODUCTION,

M arilyn P . 2 2.

LOWLAND MAYA LATE CLASSIC

POTTERY PERIOD

PRODUCTION

IN

B eaudry

THE

P rudence M . 2 3.

MAYA POTTERY AFTER IMPLICATIONS

2 0

YEARS:

R ice

5 25

ARCHAEOLOGICAL D ean E .

iv

5 03

Arnold

5 45

R eg iona l a nd C h rono log ica l S tud ies 2 : T he Maya H igh lands a nd S ou thea s te rn P e r iphe ry

1 1 P rec lass ic C eram ics f r om t he S a lama V a l ley , B a ja V erapaz ,Gua tema la R obert J . S harer a nd D avid W . S edat

This p aper s ummarizes the analysis o f P reclassic p ottery f rom t he S alama valley, B aja Verapaz, Guatemala, an i ntermontane b asin covering c a. 7 4 s q. km i n the n orthern Maya h ighlands, l ocated north o f t he Motagua R iver and s ome 6 0 km north-northeast o f Kaminaljuyu. The S alama v alley r egion was i nvestigated by t he V erapaz P roject o f t he University Museum, University o f P ennsylvania, o ver a period o f 3 0 months during 1 972-74 by a rchaeological r econnaissance, s urvey, a nd excavation. T his research l ocated 2 4 p rehispanic s ites w ithin the v alley, s ampling 2 0 o f these by s urface c ollections and 9 b y excavations. The g oals o f these i nvestigations were d irected toward the P reclassic period and the r econstruction o f both i nternal ( regional) s ocio-political evolution and e xternal ( inter-regional) i nteraction. The f ull r eport o f t his research will be published i n t he n ear f uture ( Sharer a nd S edat, i n press).

THE

POTTERY

SAMPLE

The c lassification o f t he p ottery c ollection gathered b y the Verapaz P roject's i nvestigations i n t he S alama v alley f ollows the t ype-variety-mode ( hereafter TVM) t axonomy b ased p rimarily on vessel s urface attributes ( see G ifford 1 976) a nd now a lmost universally u sed i n t he Maya a rea. The TVM units d efined by this research are t he c eramic variety, t ype, g roup, a nd complex ( Gifford 1 976:91 1, 1 7-18). A s i s c ustomary, t he nondescriptive portion o f the b inomial names u sed t o designate the varieties, t ypes, and g roups are t aken f rom l ocal g eographical p lace n ames; t he c eramic complexes are named a fter K ekchi Mayan words. A t otal o f 3 2,320 r econstructable vessels l ids) was r ecovered by

pottery s herds and 2 00 whole or ( including i ncensarios and their t he project i nvestigations. A ll 2 41

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat t he whole or r econstructable vessels were s tudied and c lassified b y f orm, except f or a f ew examples t hat were t oo f ragmentary or e roded f or a ssessment. Although a ll t he s herds were examined i n the f ield l aboratory, because t he o riginal r esearch goals w ere d irected to the P reclassic p eriod, only t he pottery sherds from t his era were thoroughly a nalyzed and d esignated according to the TVM s ystem. I n a ddition, only 1 2% ( 4,053) o f t he sherd c ollection c orresponded to t he l ater periods ( Classic and P ostclassic), a nd t his p rovided a s ample i nsufficient f or TVM c lassification. The P reclassic p ortion o f the c ollection r epresents 8 8% ( 28,267) o f the s herds and 6 7% ( 136) o f the v essels r ecovered. O f t he s herds, 3 2% ( 9,116) possessed t he s ize and s ufficiently p reserved s urfaces to a llow confident TVM c lassification. The r emaining 6 8% ( 19,151) were either t oo small or too e roded to i dentify a ccurately by t ype. The s herd c ollection analyzed b y the TVM system, l ike t he whole v essels, was c lassified by form utilizing the r im f ragments l arge e nough to permit r eliable a ssessment o f o riginal s hape. The overall f orm o f vessels was c lassified a ccording to the categories l isted i n T able 1 . A s eries o f f orm modes was a lso d efined ( Table 2 ).

THE POTTERY SEQUENCE A c hronological s equence f or t he P reclassic p eriod i n t he S alama valley h as been e stablished by the d efinition o f c eramic c omplexes, according to T VM procedures ( Gifford 1 976:11-12), b ut n ote t hat many TVM u nits overlap the a rbitrary complex b oundaries. L acking l ong-term s tratified p rimary d eposits, this c hronology i s b ased on a s eriation o f a ssociated pottery f rom 3 5 e xcavated ( caches, burials, a nd s hort t erm r efuse) d eposits. C omparisons and s eriation o f material f rom s econdary c ontexts ( surface a nd c onstruction f ill) f leshed out the t ypology and s equence. The dating o f the d efined c eramic c omplexes i s approximate, but i t i s anchored by a s eries o f s ix r adiocarbon dates. The developmental t rends s een i n t he P reclassic p ottery s equence defined f or t he S alama valley are s ummarized b y c eramic c omplex, i ncluding a resume o f its c omponent type-variety units, decorative modes, vessel f orms, a nd a s ynopsis o f the external r elationships. The s equence o f f orm c lasses a nd modes i s tabulated i n Table 3 . X ox Ceramic Complex The valley

( ca.

1 200-800

BC)

i nitial p ottery c omplex i s c haracterized by a 2 42

d efined g reater

f or t he S alama d iversity o f

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley T able

1 .

2 .

3 .

4 .

1 .

S imple

Categories Vessels.

f or

C lassification of

Overall

Form of

bowls

( normally, vessels with d iameter g reater than height). A . F lared walls B . Rounded walls C . Restricted walls D . Vertical walls E . Out-curved walls F . Vertical-recurved walls Compound Bowls ( combinations of above wall forms). A . F lared o r s lightly out-curved l ower wall with upper wall that i s: B . Rounded C . Restricted D . Vertical E . Out-curved B . Rounded l ower wall with upper wall that i s: A . F lared C . Restricted D . Vertical E . Out-curved C . Restricted l ower wall with upper wall that i s: A . F lared C . Restricted D . Vertical E . Out-curved Jars ( vessels with height greater than diameter and r estricted orifice) with neck that i s: A . F lared B . Rounded C . Restricted D . Vertical E . Out-curved F . Neckless BE. Rounded Out-curved Special Forms A . I ncensarios B . Covers

d ecorative modes and fewer variations in vessel f orm than any of i ts s uccessors. I t has been d ivided i nto two f acets b ased on relatively minor shifts in content of both t ype-variety units and decorative modes ( early f acet ca. 1 200-1000 BC; l ate facet ca. 1 000-800 BC). Red monochromes are more prevalent i n the Xox complex t han a t any s ubsequent time. The Sachaj group ( Fig. 1 ) i s distributed a cross both the early and l ate f acets, a lthough i t i s probable that o ne of its types, Payaque Z oned-red ( Fig. l d, e ), i s more representative of the

2 43

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat

Table Rim Codes R 1 R2 R 3 R4 R 5 R6 Base

2 .

Definition o f Form Modes

Direct Thickened Exterior thickened I nterior thickened Everted ( s) S calloped r im

Codes B l F lat B 2 S lightly rounded B 3 Rounded B 4 D impled B 5 Ring B 6 Pedestal

Appendage Codes ( all supports are t ripods unless otherwise noted). A l Nubbin ( solid) A2 S lab ( solid) A 3 Hollow conical A4 Hollow hemispherical supports A 5 Hollow bulbous s upports A6 Hollow mammiform s upports A 7 Hollow tall-conical supports A8 Hollow t ubular supports A 9 Hollow e ffigy supports A 10 Vertical s olid handles A ll Horizontal s olid handles A l2 Spouts F lange Codes F l Sublabial F 2 Medial F 3 Basal Faceted

l atter. The unslipped Beleju group ( Fig. 2 ) begins i n Xox t imes but continues l ong thereafter ( through the Tol c omplex; s ee below) with f ew c learly d iagnostic changes, except f or the Cacrauch variety and P atul I ncised, both typical o f t he s ubsequent Max complex ( Fig. 2c, f , g ). Three groups r epresenting the unslipped Pachicaj ( Fig. 3 ), c ream s lipped Turbala ( Fig. 4 ), a nd red-on-cream X ola ( Fig. 5 ) types appear generally l imited to the e arly f acet. Two g roups that continue i nto the s ucceeding Max complex, the r ed s lipped Chirrum group ( Fig. 6 ) and the g ray s lipped E l Congo g roup ( Fig. 7 ), begin by the l ate f acet o f t he Xox complex. Only t he unslipped Chuachua g roup ( Fig. 8 ) s eems confined to the l ate f acet. 2 44

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley

T able Vessel

3 .

Forms

F requencies

by

Ceramic

Complex

Xox

Max

Tol

Uc

Quej

3 9.0% 8 .0% 1 .0% 0 .3% 1 .6% -

3 8.0% 1 1.0% 1 .8% 1 .6% 7 .0% -

3 5.0% 9 .0% 2 .0% 2 .0% 1 7.0% -

1 6.0% 1 2.0% 2 .4% 2 .0% 1 2.0% L . %

3 .0% 2 2.0% 9 .0% 1 .0% 1 4.0%

0 .6% 0 .3% -

0 .2% 0 .4% 0 .4% 0 . 1 .4% 1 .6% 1 .4%

5 .0% 3 .0% 0 .3% 3 .0% 0 .3% 2 .4% 2 % 3 . 2 .0% 0 .3% 0 .6% 1 .0%

5 .6% 0 .5% 5 .0% 1 .0% 4 .0% 1 .2% 4 .0%

1 .0% 1 9.0% 2 9.0%

6 .0% 0 .2% 1 2.0% 1 6.0% 0 .8%

4 .5% 0 .8% 3 .0% 4 .5% 1 .0%

1 6.0%

1 3.0%

1 .2% 4 .0% 5 .0% -

4 .0% 1 .0%

5 3.0% 7 2.0% 1 0.0% 1 .0% 1 5.0% 1 4.0% 1 0.0% 1 2.0% 1 3.0% ( actual counts) 3 1 2 0 1 1 7 4 2 5 1 4 _ -

6 5.0% 2 .0% 4 .0% 2 9.0% -

7 0.0% 9 .0% 1 .0% 1 6.0% 4 .0%

7 7.0% 1 .0% 4 .0% 1 .0% 1 7.0%

1 4 9 3 0 4 -

3 2 2 4 3 2 5

1 1 5 9 1 1 8

S imple bowls A B C D E F Compound bowls A B A C A D A E B A B C B D B E C A C C C D C E J ars A B C D E F R im Form R 1 R 2 R 3 R 4 R 5 R 6( s) Appendages A l A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A 6 A 7 A 8 A 9 A 10 A ll A l2 F l F 2 F 3 f

Form Mode

2 45

3 .0%

2 % 6 . 0 % 3 . 0 % 0 .5%

0 .5%

1

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat D iagnostic decorative modes o f this time i nterval i nclude unslipped j ars w ith e laborate modeled a dornments ( especially l arge vertical r idges, e arly f acet), h orizontal c ut and p unched appliques, e ffigy f eatures, a nd more r arely, d entate and r ocker s tamping ( early f acet). D ark red washes o ccur i n c ombination with s ome o f t hese modes i n minor f requencies, s pawning a l ong-lived t radition o f red daubed unslipped j ars. S lipped t ypes a re c haracterized by s pecular h ematite r ed ( more f requent i n t he e arly f acet), p allid r ed ( prevalent i n t he l ate f acet), c ream ( more c ommon i n t he e arly f acet), or g ray ( appearing i n the l ate f acet) s urfaces t hat may b e a ltered by s mudging ( zoned i n the c ream Turbala group), z oned s lipping, or even r eserving u nslipped b owl e xteriors. Types i n both the c ream T urbala a nd s ucceeding g ray E l C ongo g roups are d efined b y unslipped a nd intentionally r oughened b owl exteriors. B ichromes i nclude r ed-on-cream ( red r im banding b eing e specially typical of t he e arly f acet) and r ed s lip o r f ugitive s tucco p ainting o n gray. Many s lipped wares a re f urther d ecorated by s imple pres lip g rooving or, more r arely, b y z oned punctations, i ncisions, and modeling. V essel f orms a re d ominated by s imple b owls w ith f lat b ases a nd f laring walls ( 39%), a nd t ecomates or n eckless j ars ( 29%). Vertical n ecked j ars ( 19%) and rounded wall bowls with f lat bases ( 8%) f ollow i n p opularity. The r emaining 5 % o f f orms a re a lmost e qually d ivided b etween s ix c lasses ( simple b owls w ith r estricted, vertical, o r o utcurved walls; compound bowls with r ounded-restricted o r r estricted-vertical walls; a nd r ounded n ecked j ars). D irect r ims p redominate ( 53%), a lthough t heir f requency i s l ess t han in a ny s ucceeding c omplex. T he f our r emaining r im f orms a re f airly equally r epresented; most o f t he exterior thickened e xamples ( 15%) a re a ssociated w ith b owl f orms while t he i nterior t hickened r ims ( 10%) a re u sually f ound on n eckless j ars. X ox c omplex pottery h as both f orm a nd decorative modal t ies, a long w ith g eneral s imilarities i n s lipped w ares, to pottery units d efined f rom s ites l ocated b oth to t he s outh ( Pacific c oast) a nd t o t he n orth ( southern l owlands). N eckless j ars, o ften w ith i nterior t hickened r ims and occasionally w ith t all c onical hollow t ripod s upports, a re s imilar t o t he S alama e xamples and c haracteristic o f the P acific c oastal r egion during the E arly P reclassic. S imple f lat b ased f laring wall bowls a re a lso t ypical o f t his s outhern a rea, a s a re e xterior t hickened r ims, but t hese l atter modes a lso characterize t he e arliest c eramics o f t he s outhern l owlands ( Xe c eramic s phere) t o t he north. D ecorative m odes with s trong s outhern l inks i nclude d entate a nd r ocker s tamping, g ray w ares, s pecular h ematite s lipping, s mudged c ream t ypes ( white r im b lack ware), and exterior b owl roughening. C lose a ffinities to the s outhern l owlands i nclude s imilar 2 46

P reclassic C eramics f ram t he S alama V alley p re-slip g rooving, a long with horizontal cut and punched a ppliques on u nslipped wares. Connections to s ites in b oth areas include r ed daubing or z oned painting, red-onc ream s lips, f ugitive r ed and other stucco embellishments, a nd pallid r ed s lips. In a ddition to these, there are f urther c eramic l inks i n a number o f t rade and special t ypes recognized f or this t ime interval i ndicating i nteraction with areas outside t he Salama valley. Most o f these r epresent wares o f d ecorative modes not d irectly r elated to Salama valley t ypes, and t hus are probably imports ( some may be l ocal e xperiments). One o f these, Special F luted, s eems to d erive f rom the earliest tradition defined on the Pacific c oast ( Barra c omplex); another, S acacoyo Brown, i s f rom t he Early Preclassic Tok complex at Chalchuapa in the s outheastern highlands. M ax Ceramic Complex

( ca.

8 00-500

BC)

This complex i s characterized by a s eries o f modes t ypical o f Middle Preclassic pottery f rom much o f the Maya a rea. Types f rom three Xox c omplex g roups, Chirrum ( Fig. 6 ), E l C ongo ( Fig. 7 ), a nd B eleju ( Fig. 2 ), continue d uring this p eriod. But the majority of groups a re n ew, r epresenting a n expanded red-on-buff j ar tradition and the i nitiation o f b lack-brown and orange s lipped wares d estined to r eplace t he earlier cream and gray tradition a nd dominate t he earlier r ed s lipped wares. The f irst o f t hese n ew groups, Chicaja ( Fig. 9 ), r epresents the appearance o f a f ully developed red-on-buff j ar a ssemblage, c learly descended from Xox c omplex p rototypes. A lthough this t radition has a l ong-enduring h eritage ( continuous through the C lassic period i n many h ighland regions), i t i ncludes a series of decorative and f orm modes that a llow t ypological distinctions having t emporal and a real s ignificance. I n the S alama valley, t he earliest e xamples are applique-fillet j ars with a red w ash that appears i n the Xox complex ( Suntun Red-painted, F ig. 3 d, e , a nd Chuachua Applique: Red-painted variety,

F igs. 1 -24. P reclassic pottery f rom the S alama Valley, G uatemala. F igs. 1 , 2 a, b , d , e , 3 -8: Xox c eramic c omplex ( ca. 1 200-800 BC); F igs. 2 c, f , g , 6 , 7 , 9 , 1 0b-f, 1 1-13, 1 6, 1 8d, e : M ax c eramic c omplex ( ca. 8 00-500 BC); F igs. 2 c, f , g , 9 c, d , 1 0a, 1 4, 1 5, 1 8a-c, 1 9b-d, f -k, 2 0a, b , 2 2a, b , d -g: T ol c eramic c omplex ( ca. 5 00-200 BC); F igs. 1 0a, 1 5a, b , 1 8f i, 1 9e, 2 0c, d , 2 1, 2 2a, b , d-g: Uc c eramic complex ( ca. 2 00-0 BC); F igs. 1 0a, 2 2c, 2 3, 2 4: Q uej ceramic c omplex ( AD 0 -200).

2 47

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley

c »

2 49

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat

c : z 2 , c : z 3 0%0

T 3

C O

a )

2 50

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley

7 \ / s

2 51

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat

J

• .2c a . z

z L .

4 0 00 1 1 ›

_ c C o

C D

2 52

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley

d o l o *

c o

t a )

2 53

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat

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R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat F ig. 8 b, c ). T his t radition expands d uring t he Max c omplex and i s d efined a s P achijob Applique ( Fig. 9 b-d). I ts companion t ype, Chicaja R ed-on-buff ( Fig. 9a), r epresents t he l ocal beginnings o f r ed daubed j ars w ithout the applique mode. At the s ame t ime, a r elated g roup ( Guaymango, F ig. 1 0), p robably evolved f rom t he s ame Early P reclassic origins. I t i s d istinguished i n the S alama v alley by t he u se o f a n o ften g lossy s lip p aint ( predominantly o n the i nterior o f t he neck), a long with p unctations and s triations ( Pascubir R ed-on-buff, F ig. 1 0bd ). P lain unslipped b lack pottery ( Mumus g roup, F ig. 1 3) a lso appears during t his i nterval. The s lipped wares b eginning during Max t imes a re the waxy b lacks ( Chimacho, F ig. 1 1), s treaky b rowns ( Choven, F ig. 1 2), and g lossy o ranges ( Chopen, F ig. 1 8d, e ). The f irst two g enerally c orrespond to t his p eriod a nd are s ucceeded by t he l ater l ong-lived b lack-brown types. The Chopen group expands d uring t he L ate P reclassic to dominate the S alama v alley c eramic a ssemblage, a nd its d escendants appear t o c ontinue throughout t he C lassic era a s well. A minor a nd d istinct p ainted o range t ype ( Pambach Red-on-orange; F ig. 1 6), i s s eemingly confined to t he Max complex. The decorative modes o f t he M ax c omplex a re l ess d iversified t han t hose o f the preceding X ox c omplex, a lthough the f orm i nventory i ncreases. P rincipal examples o f decoration a ssociated with u nslipped wares are z oned punctations, i ncising, a nd r ed daubing ( dull r ed wash and g lossy s lip p aint), r ed wash c ombined w ith p lain vertical o r c ut punctations. S lipped d ecorative modes i nclude smudging, pre-slip g rooving, a nd r ed s lip p ainting ( all d escended from more c ommon o ccurrences i n Xox t imes), a long with post-slip i ncising t hat becomes more popular in t his and l ater periods. The d iversity o f b owl f orms e xpands i n the M iddle P reclassic. S imple b owls w ith f laring walls a re a lmost a s c ommon a s during t he X ox e ra ( 38% v s. 3 9%), while t he other f orms a ll i ncrease: r ounded walled ( 11%), restricted walled ( 1.8%), v ertical walled ( 1.6%), a nd out-curved walled ( 7%) bowls. T he n umber o f compound bowls increases t o s even forms ( vs. two i n the Xox complex). Two n ew j ar f orms appear, f laring n ecked a nd o ut-curved n ecked, w hile t he prevailing X ox f orm ( neckless j ars) a lmost disappears ( 0.8%). Vertical n ecked j ars d ecline ( 12% v s. 1 9%) a s do t he rare rounded n ecked f orm ( 0.2% v s. 1 %). Rim f orms a lso shift i n t his p eriod. D irect r ims r emain dominant but i ncrease to 7 2%. Exterior t hickened ( 14%) a nd everted r ims ( 13%) remain n early t he s ame a s b efore, b ut thickened r ims d ecline ( 1%) a nd i nterior t hickened r ims d isappear. S pouts are distinctive o f this e ra, a nd t he earliest e xamples of sublabial a nd medial f langes a ppear.

2 58

P reclassic C eramics f ram t he S alama V alley S everal o f the modes i ndicative o f external c onnections continue from the p receding Xox c omplex ( smudging, pre-slip grooving, r ed daubing o r s lip painting, and c ut appliques) and reflect ongoing t ies to r egions north and s outh o f the S alama valley. The red-onbuff j ar decoration i s e specially c lose to Middle P reclassic traditions in both the s outhern h ighlands ( Kaminaljuyu a nd to the e ast at C halchuapa) and t he P acific coast. I ts combination with c ut appliques i s t ied t o s imilar types a t Chalchuapa and to the north i n the Maya lowlands. The addition o f s triations i s d irectly l inked t o l owland ( Mamom c eramic s phere) wares. P lain z oned punctated j ars are e quated with examples f rom K aminaljuyu and Chalchuapa. The waxy b lack s lipped p ottery ( plain a nd grooved-incised) o f t he Max complex i s c losely r elated t o a widespread Mamom tradition i n the l owlands. Both the s treaky brown a nd e arly orange types i n the S alama valley appear r elated to s imilar wares f ound i n the s outhern h ighlands and o n the Pacific c oast. D istinct t rade and s pecial types a re r educed f rom the p receding Xox c omplex, a lthough some o f these earlier e xamples might pertain to this era. T ol

Ceramic

Complex

( ca.

5 00-200

BC)

The Tol complex reflects many characteristics o f the t ransition b etween the Middle a nd Late P reclassic eras. T here are continuities f rom t he preceding Max complex on t he ceramic group l evel; but, except f or the Beleju , group, t hese comprise r ecognizably distinct t ype-variety units. I n two cases, s ingle types represent the l ast r epresentative o f their respective g roups ( Chicaja, F ig. 9 , and Guaymango, F ig. 1 0). I n the third case, f ive new u nits reflect t he continued expansion o f t he Chopen group ( Fig. 1 8a-c, 1 9b-d, f -k). I n addition, the Tol complex i s marked by the o ccurence o f f our n ew c eramic groups ( Xinacati, F ig. 1 4; Cachil, F ig. 1 5; I xloc, F ig. 1 7; and P inos, F ig. 2 2). The r ed-on-buff j ar tradition i s maintained by a l ate r epresentative o f t he g lossy s lip painted s tyle ( Guaymango R ed-on-buff: Polochic variety, F ig. 1 0a), a nd t he e xpansion o f t he dull r ed daubed tradition ( Cachil group F ig. 1 5). I n both examples, t he combination o f r ed d aubing and a pplique decoration d isappears during this i nterval, a lthough the l atter mode i s s ustained by the f inal unit o f the Pachojob ( Chuara variety, F ig. 9 c,d). O therwise, t he decoration o f unslipped wares i s greatly r educed f rom previous periods. S lipped p ottery i s r epresented by an expansion o f the o range wares, a long with an emphasis on more l ustrous s urface f inishes ( Chopen and I xloc g roups, Figs. 1 7-20). T here i s a lso a s hift i n the f ar l ess important red t radition ( Xinacati group, F ig. 1 4), and the appearance o f 2 59

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P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley t he f irst s mudged b lack-brown wares ( Pinos g roup, F ig. 2 1). The l atter n ever r eaches the s ame d egree o f i mportance i n t he S alama v alley a s i t d oes i n other h ighland r egions ( most notably a t Kaminaljuyu) b ut maintains a p resence f or t he r emainder o f the P reclassic e ra. Common d ecorative a ttributes i nclude p re-slip g rooving, post-slip i ncising ( coarse and, more r arely, f ine-lined), a nd r ed s lip painting ( singly and i n c ombination with i ncising). The r elative i mportance o f most o f t hese modes a ppears to i ncrease i n T ol t imes. G raphite p ainting i s a m inor, a lbeit d istinctive, mode a ssociated with t he X inacati g roup. Typical T ol p eriod f orms a re s imple b owls w ith f laring walls ( declining s omewhat to 3 5%), a nd c ontinued m inor f requencies o f r ounded, r estricted, and v ertical wall f orms ( 9%, 2 %, a nd 2 %, r espectively). A p ronounced e xpansion o ccurs w ith o ut-curved wall bowls ( 17%). The n umber o f d istinct c ompound b owl f orms a lso c ontinues t o i ncrease ( 11, 4 more t han d uring t he Max c omplex). F laring n ecked j ars d ecrease s lightly ( 4.5%), while v ertical and o ut-curved n ecked f orms d ecline more d rastically ( 3% a nd 4 .5%, r espectively). T he minor o ccurrence o f v ertical r ecurved necked j ars i s maintained ( 1%), a nd a n ew f orm, t he r estricted necked j ar ( 0.8%) a ppears. R ims u ndergo s ome s ignificant c hanges. D irect r ims ( 65%) a re d iminished s omewhat i n f requency, thickened r ims d isappear a ltogether, a nd exterior thickened e xamples r eappear a fter a n apparent h iatus during t he Max e ra. The b iggest c hange i s i n everted r ims ( 29%), which more t han d ouble t heir p revious f requency. S ublabial f langes r each t heir maximum p opularity, a long with s maller f requencies o f medial f langes. The r ed d aubed t ypes c ontinue t heir t ies t o other m anifestations o f t his w idespread t radition ( see a bove). A specific l ink i s e xpressed b y a m inor c omponent b eginning during t he T ol c omplex, Guaymango R ed-on-buff: P olochic v ariety, a member o f the g lossy r ed s lip p aint s tyle, an a real v ariety o f t he e stablished t ype d efined i n the s outheastern h ighlands. This s ame r egion a lso s eems t ied t o t he S alama v alley v ia the c ontinuation o f t he applique d ecorative mode, which i n t urn maintains i ts r elationship t o s imilar d ecorated unslipped wares i n t he l owlands. The major o range ware ( Chopen group) c ontinues i ts c onnections t o other h ighland r egions. A m inor o range c omponent ( the o range p aste I xloc g roup) h as c lose a ffinities t o the d ominant Mamom c eramic s phere o range w are i n t he l owlands ( Savana g roup). G rooving, i ncised m otifs, and a ssociated bowl f orms o f this a nd other S alama v alley s lipped wares i ndicate a dditional t ies t o l ater M iddle P reclassic l owland p ottery. S imilar r elationships e xist w ith wares f ound t o t he s outh, t he most s pecific 2 71

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat b eing t he minor mode o f g raphite p ainting ( Xinacati g roup). The l ocal b lack-brown t radition begins during t his i nterval a nd i s a nalogous t o the dominant ware a t K aminaljuyu. Two t rade t ypes ( Providencia C ream a nd P rovidencia P urple-painted), r elate s pecifically to t he v alley o f G uatemala during this p eriod a nd a t hird ( Jicalapa U sulutan) has o rigins i n t he s outheastern h ighlands. T he l ist o f s pecial types d ated t o t he Tol c omplex i s more e xtensive t han any other i nterval i n the P reclassic s equence. U c C eramic

Complex

( ca.

2 00-0

B C)

The U c c omplex f eatures a number o f modes c ommon t o the Late P reclassic pottery o f t he M aya a rea. A lthough r ed-on-buff ( unslipped) j ar t ypes c ontinue f rom t he p revious e ra ( Guaymango group a nd t he much more n umerous C achil g roup), t he o range-slipped c eramics ( Chopen g roup) expand w ith a s eries o f n ew t ypes ( Figs. 1 8-20) t o d ominate t he e ntire a ssemblage. The l ocal b lack-brown ware ( Pinos g roup) c ontinues w ith l ittle perceptible c hange, but a n ew v ersion ( Inupal g roup) o f t he much s maller r ed-slipped t radition h elps d efine t he complex. The n ew C hopen g roup members c onsist o f a d istinct monochrome ( Salama v ariety, F ig. 1 8f, g ), a long with i ncised, U sulutan d ecorated ( Fig. 2 0c, d ), a nd f luted ( Fig. 1 9e) types. The only r ecognized c hanges i n the P inos g roup ( Fig. 2 1) a re i n t he f orm i nventory, a lthough s ubtle d istinctions i n s urface f inish are s uspected. A n ew r ed t ype, I nupal R ed, i s d efined b y i ts s lip and o verwhelming a ssociation with j ar f orms ( Fig. 2 2). The i nventory o f d ecorative modes i s l ittle c hanged f rom the p receding p eriod. A lthough t he unslipped r ed d aubed j ars c ontinue t o b e dominated by the C achil g roup, i t i s f elt that t he more c arefully e xecuted C achil v ariety ( Fig. 1 5a, b ) i s more t ypical o f the U c c omplex. I ncising becomes, i f anything, more p revalent a s a p ost-slip mode ( Pinos a nd Chopen g roups). A d istinctive broad p re-slip f luted a ttribute i s a lso a dded to t he Chopen group, while t he r ed-on-orange d ecoration a ll b ut d isappears d uring t his e ra. Smudged r esist i s a lso f eatured a s a minor e mbellishment i n b oth t he P inos and C hopen groups. But t he t rue U sulutan r esist d ecoration t hat t ypically d ominates t he s lipped p ottery a t many s outhern h ighland s ites i n t he L ate P reclassic i s r epresented by o nly a n umerically minor t ype, C hicuxtin U sulutan, a member of t he Chopen g roup ( Fig. 2 0c, d ). The o rigins o f t he U sulutan t radition s eem t o h ave b een i n t he s outheast h ighlands, where i t h ad i ts l ongest and most p opular development ( Demarest and S harer 1 982). 2 72

P reclassic C eramics f ram t he S alama V alley The early b lotchy U sulutans ( Puxtla group at Chalchuapa) are present f airly s oon thereafter i n the l owlands ( Mamom c eramic s phere) b ut were generally unrecognized u ntil defined a t S eibal by S abloff ( 1975:71-74) a s t he Tierra Mojada group, i ncluding an i ncised type ( Timax I ncised) that corresponds c losely to a common d ecorative mode i n t he southeastern h ighlands. Thus i t would s eem that the e arly b lotchy U sulutans p rovide f urther evidence o f P reclassic h ighland-lowland i nteraction. Later highland U sulutans are c ommonly a ssociated with cream a nd o range s lipped wares, a nd s till l ater a s elf-slipped or unslipped U sulutan becomes dominant. A lthough present as t rade t ypes, t he cream s lipped ( Jicalapa) and s elf s lipped ( Izalco) t raditions are not common i n the Salama valley p ottery i nventory. Only the weakly represented Chicuxtin U sulutan, belonging to the orange s lipped tradition, s eems t o be a l ocal t ype. I n these r espects, the S alama valley i s quite s imilar to the Late P reclassic Maya l owlands with i ts small numbers o f U sulutan pottery ( compared to the u sual highland p attern) derived f rom trade a s well a s s ome l ocalized production. Change i n t he f orm i nventory i s one o f the most o bvious f eatures o f the Uc complex. The overall f requency o f s imple bowls i s s ignificantly reduced ( 47% compared to 6 5% during the T ol complex). F laring wall bowls ( 16%) are l ess than h alf o f t heir f ormer number; out-curved bowls a re a lso reduced ( 12%); r ounded wall bowls i ncrease to 1 2%. Restricted and vertical wall f orms maintain their m inority s tatus ( 2.4% and 2 %, r espectively). A new minor f orm, vertical r ecurved bowls ( 2%), i s distinctive o f the U c complex. The f requency o f compound bowls i ncreases ( 28%, c ompared to 2 1% f or Tol), a lthough the number o f d istinct f orms i n this category i s s lightly r educed ( 10 f orms c ompared to 1 1). A t hreefold increase occurs in f laring n ecked j ars ( 16%), b ut the other three j ar f orms m aintain approximately the s ame f requencies a s p reviously. R im f orms r eveal s imilar s hifts. D irect r ims a re s lightly i ncreased ( 70%). Exterior thickening c limbs t o over four t imes i ts previous f igure ( 9%), while i nterior thickening decreases ( 1%). Overall, the f requency o f e verted r ims i s r educed f rom their peak d uring t he Tol complex, but a new embellishment, s calloped e verted r ims ( 4%), appears characteristic o f the Uc c omplex. F langes o f a ll k inds--sublabial, medial, and b asal, s ome d istinctively f aceted--are typical o f this e ra. Comparison o f type-variety, decorative mode, and f orm c orrespondences makes i t apparent that external c onnections a re maintained d uring t his era with regions b oth north a nd s outh o f the Salama valley. The two i dentified t rade types o f t he Uc complex f urther r eflect t hese r elationships. Utatlan B ichrome r epresents a d istinct highland g raphite p ainted tradition that begins 2 73

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat i n t he M iddle P reclassic, b ut most o f the examples f ound i n the S alama valley d ate t o t he L ate P reclassic. S ierra R ed i s t he d ominant p ottery type o f the l owland C hicanel c eramic s phere, a nd a s cattering o f e xamples recovered i n t he S alama valley a re f urther evidence o f i nteraction with a reas t o t he north. A s d iscussed a bove, t he distribution o f U sulutan p ottery i n t he S alama v alley i s analogous to t he g eneral l owland s ituation i n c ontrast t o the p revailing h ighland p attern. F inally, t he s ix S pecial t ypes a ssigned to t he U c c omplex a re mostly bichromes, a n e xception t o the l ack o f s uch d ecoration i n t he major t ypev ariety u nits o f t his p eriod, a nd one ( Special R ed-ono range) s eems r elated t o a s outhern l owland p seudoU sulutan t ype. Q uej

C eramic

C omplex

( ca.

AD

0 -200)

The d efinition o f t he f inal c omplex o f t he Preclassic e ra i s b ased o n a s maller s ample than the p revious c omplexes. T he Q uej c omplex i s defined by t he appearance o f two n ew s lipped g roups: a c ream g roup and a distinctive o range t hat r eplaces t he l ong-lived and d ominant C hopen g roup. T he l atter, t he Chitucan g roup ( Fig. 2 3), s eems to b e a ncestral t o t he major o range g roups o f t he s ubsequent C lassic p eriod. Unslipped w ares a re r epresented by a c ontinuation o f t he C achil g roup ( Fig. 1 5); t he G uaymango group e nded d uring t he p receding U c c omplex. T he l ocal b lack-brown s lipped t radition ( Pinos g roup, F ig. 2 2) c ontinues, but a ppears a ttenuated. The n ew C hitucan g roup i s defined by a d istinct paste a nd a s ofter s lip t han that o f i ts o ranges lipped f orerunners. T he C huacus g roup ( Fig. 2 4) r epresents the appearance o f a c reamware w ithout c lear l ocal p recedent. D ecorative modes a ssociated with t hese wares a re g reatly r educed. I ncising declines a nd i s l imited t o a f ew e xamples i n t he P inos g roup. The C hitucan g roup i s c haracterized b y two minor but d istinctive v ariations; t he a ddition o f impressed decoration and Pansuy P lain, a n u nslipped t ype made o f t ypical C hitucan ware. The C huacus group i ncludes a monochrome c ream a nd a r ed-on-cream b ichrome. F orms t ypical o f t he Q uej c omplex a re dominated by s imple b owls i n c ontrast t o t he preceding e ra. Examples o f f laring wall a nd r ounded wall bowls n early double ( 30% and 2 2%, r espectively), a nd r estricted wall b owls t riple i n f requency ( 9%). Vertical wall f orms r emain minor ( 1%), while o ut-curved b owls maintain about t he s ame f requency ( 14%). O nly t wo versions o f c ompound b owls a re known f or t his p eriod ( 6% o f t he t otal). M ost o f t he j ars a re e ither r ounded n ecked ( 13%) o r o ut-curved n ecked ( 4%) f orms; v ertical r ecurved e xamples a re r are ( 1%). D irect r ims r each t heir p eak f requency ( 77%), and e verted f orms a re a d istant s econd ( 17%). Exterior a nd i nterior 2 74

P reclassic C eramics f rom t he S alama V alley thickened r ims a re p resent, but i n s mall numbers ( 6% t otal). Vessel s upports a re most n umerous i n the Q uej c omplex ( solid n ubbin, hollow b ulbous, and h ollow mammiform e xamples; most a re probably t etrapods). Based on available c eramic d ata, t he p attern o f e xternal r elationships does n ot c hange d uring the Q uej c omplex. The C huacus group r epresents t ies to t he s outhern h ighlands, t he l ikely p lace o f o rigin f or t his n ewly appearing c reamware a nd i ts b ichrome c ompanion. C hitucan O range, o n t he o ther h and, s eems c losest t o a c ontemporary o range g roup a t S eibal i n the s outhern l owlands. The p rincipal t rade ware o f this p eriod, I zalco U sulutan, i s r epresentative o f t he s elf-slipped t radition o f U sulutan d ecorated c eramics t hat s eemingly o riginates in t he s outheastern h ighlands. O f t he t hree S pecial t ypes d ated to t his i nterval, o ne has c lear a ffinities t o the s outhern h ighlands ( Red-rimmed U sulutan), a nd another ( Porous Orange) may b e f rom the l owlands. A fter

the P reclassic

( ca.

AD

2 00-1500)

As i ndicated a t the b eginning o f this p aper, the s ample o f C lassic a nd P ostclassic material r ecovered by t he Verapaz P roject was t oo l imited f or a dequate t ypological c lassification and p ertains t o a t ime s pan b eyond t he p rincipal objectives o f t he r esearch. N onetheless, p ottery dating t o t he l ater p ortions o f the p recolumbian e ra were r ecognized by a s eries o f a ttributes d efined f rom e xcavated s econdary c ontexts a nd p rimary d eposits ( burial a nd c ache vessels). A b rief description o f the typical c haracteristics o f C lassic a nd P ostclassic p ottery i n t he S alama valley i s p resented h ere t o provide a g eneral r esume o f t his material. Overall, t hese l ater e ras i n t he S alama v alley a re r epresented by p ottery with g enerally t hinner walls ( dark c ores a re a lso f ar l ess f requent t han i n t he P reclassic) a nd f iner o range-colored p astes. I n c ontrast t o t he h arder f ired P reclassic wares, l ater p ottery appears to e rode much more e asily and o ften h as a f riable o r g ritty f eel, e specially i n the u tilitarian t ypes. A lso d iagnostic a re n ew d ecorative modes, i ncluding i ncreased f requencies o f p ainting on bowl f orms t hat c ulminated i n p olychromes, a long with l ess c ommon c omplex r esist d esigns. J ars typically h ave a pplique buttons w ith t hree p unctations ( "ahau" motifs) a nd s hallow s triations; they a re u sually e ither unslipped ( "buff") o r washed w ith a t hin o range o r r ed e xternal s lip. N ew o r much more c ommon f orms i nclude c omales, v ertical wall b owls ( cylinders), a nd h emispherical o r d eep r estricted b owls. Hollow b ulbous tripod s upports ( which l ater i nclude e ffigy f eatures) a re o ften f ound on s hallow bowls o r more r arely o n p lates. J ar h andles a re u sually p laced l ower on the v essel ( shoulder o r medial), i n c ontrast t o t he r im o r 2 75

R obert J . S harer & D avid W . S edat neck p lacements o f t he P reclassic period. Cylindrical f langed i ncensarios continue f rom t he Preclassic, a lthough the modeled decorations t end t o b ecome more c omplex through t ime. Ladle and spiked a pplique ( "ceiba e ffigy") f orms are a lso f ound i n these l ater e ras. I n the Early C lassic s everal d iagnostic forms a ppear, s uch a s c ylindrical bowls with s lab tripod supports, r ing based hemispherical bowls, and modeled effigy n ecked j ars. B lack and orange s lips, and red-on-orange bichromes are typical. The c ylindrical tripods i nclude monochromes ( some with mold-impressed panels) and s tuccoed polychromes ( which continue i nto the l ater C lassic p eriod), at l east s ome o f which are p robably t rade p ieces. I n the Middle and L ate C lassic b lack, l ight brown, o range, and cream monochromes, s craped-slip wares, r ed-on-orange b ichromes, and r ed-and-black-on-orange polychromes prevail. Cream-based polychromes and s tuccoed polychromes are a lso found, but t hese appear t o be imports. Smudged-resist vessels appear diagnostic o f this era. The pottery o f the T erminal C lassic and Early Postclassic r etains most of these f eatures, a lthough b lack s lipping may d isappear and red-on-unslipped buff bowls appear more c ommon. E ffigy s upports ( some moldmade), f luted orange deep bowls, and i mported P lumbate and p olychromes ( including Las Vegas a nd related types from l ower Central America) are diagnostic. The Late P ostclassic i s l ess well known, but micaceous brown, whiteon-red, a nd Chinautla Polychrome ( black-and-red-on-cream) t ypes are f ound.

References DEMAREST, 1 982

A ., AND R .J. SHARER " The Origins and Evolution o f U sulutan Ceramics," American Antiquity 4 7:810-822.

G IFFORD, 1 976

J .C. Prehistoric Pottery Analysis a nd the Ceramics of B arton Ramie i n the Belize Valley, P eabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, M ass.: Harvard University).

SABLOFF, 1 975

J .A. Excavations at S eibal: Ceramics, Memoirs o f the P eabody Museum o f Archeology and Ethnology, vol. 1 3(2) ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

SHARER,

R .J., AND D . W. SEDAT Archaeological I nvestigations i n t he Northern Maya H ighlands, University Museum Monographs ( Philadelphia: University o f P ennsylvania).

2 76

1 2 R eg iona l C eram ic D eve lopmen t i n E l Qu iche a nd B a ja V erapaz , Gua tema la

A lain I chon

The p resent r eview covers c eramic material obtained f rom several a djacent r egions o f the Guatemalan h ighlands. The a rea o f the S an Andres S ajcabaja Project ( 1972-1977) extends over t he municipios o f S ajcabaja and Canilla i n the e astern department o f Quiche, while the Chixoy P roject ( 1977-1982) c oncentrates o n t he m iddle Chixoy ( or R io N egro) valley f rom S acapulas downstream to S an Cristobal V erapaz, and on the C ubulco and Rabinal basins in Baja Verapaz ( Fig. 1 ).[1] Both a reas extend s outh o f the deeply embanked Rio Chixoy and north o f the S ierra de Chuacus. They are l imited e astward by t he Rio Carchela, an affluent o f the C hixoy, a nd westward by S an Bartolome Jocotenango and S acapulas. In t he f irst area, a systematic s urvey was c onducted and s everal important s ites were excavated, mainly S an Andres S ajcabaja, La L agunita-group A , Los C erritos-Chijoj, Los C imientos-Chustum and Pueblo ViejoC hichaj ( Fig. 2 ). I n the B aja Verapaz a rea, we were entrusted with a s alvage program a s a r esult o f the c onstruction o f a hydroelectric dam at Pueblo Viejo-Quixal a nd subsequent f looding o f a narrow, 4 0 km l ong s ection o f t he Chixoy valley. We surveyed this valley s ection f rom t he dam upstream to S acapulas and conducted extensive e xcavations i n n ine small C lassic ceremonial c enters a s well a s in C auinal, the main P ostclassic c enter. As f or t he Cubulco a nd Rabinal basins, the troubled political s ituation prevented u s f rom completing a s ystematic s urvey. Yet a f ew important s ites were mapped around R abinal ( Chiwiloy, P akakja, Chilu) a nd near Cubulco ( La L aguna). I n t he s ierra, we l ocated Tres Cruces, which we b elieve i s T zamaneb, the Protohistoric main center o f the R abinaleb ( Ichon 1 982:72).

1 982;

S everal c eramic analyses V iel 1 984; Arnauld 1 985) 2 77

have been published ( Hatch b ased on material excavated

A lain I chon

Q UICHE LC O

r ' •

F ig.

1 .

B AJA i l fERAPAZ

C u b ulkig i

General

• R a bi n *,

e

map

o f

Guatemala.

2 78

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja Verapaz

2 79

A lain I chon i n s tratigraphic contexts f rom L os Encuentros and L a L agunita-group A . Los Encuentros, a c enter l ocated i n t he C hixoy valley, was o ccupied f rom M iddle P reclassic up t o E piclassic t imes, a lthough d iscontinuously. T he L a L agunita-group A s equence c overs t he middle L ate P reclassic, P rotoclassic, and E arly C lassic p eriods. T he l atter s ite, f irst s urveyed by A .L. Smith ( 1955), i s one o f t he most s pectacular e arly c enters i n c entral-eastern Q uiche ( Fig. 3 ). While H atch ( 1982) c lassified t he material f rom Los E ncuentros by wares, V iel ( 1984) and Arnauld ( 1985), working s eparately, applied t he type-variety method t o the L a L agunita c eramics, with emphasis g iven to t he g roup u nit r ather t han to t he t ype u nit. The material f rom S tructure A-6 ( approximately 5 400 s herds and 1 1 whole v essels) a llowed V iel to define two P reclassic c omplexes, S antizo a nd N oguta, a long with a p rovisional P rotoclassic c omplex n amed L ililla ( see F ig. 4 ). The h ighest l evel o f S tr. A -6 was u sed during t he Epiclassic f or s ome i ntrusive b urials. Arnauld c lassified t he c eramics f rom S tr. A-7 ( approximately 4 000 s herds) a nd f rom the P rotoclassic b allcourt, S tr. A -12. T o a llow i ntrasite c omparisons, s he a lso u ndertook a p reliminary c lassification o f t he 1 30 v essels e xcavated f rom Tomb C -44 l ocated a t t he b ase o f S tr. A -7, and o f t he 3 00 v essels f ound i n t he a rtificial c ave C -48 d iscovered i n t he c enter o f t he c eremonial p laza. T he f ormal c lassification o f t hese c ollections was c ompleted by t he a uthor. Arnauld d efined t he P rotoclassic L ililla c omplex a s well a s t he e arly f acet o f t he E arly C lassic Tucunel c omplex. B ecause m ost o f the P reclassic w ares defined by H atch f or L os E ncuentros c ompare well w ith g roup units o f L a L agunita, a nd b ecause s he d id n ot e stablish f ormal c omplexes, we t entatively apply t he L a L agunita P reclassic c eramic s equence to L os Encuentros w ith r eference t o t he S alama valley s equence ( Sharer, i n press).

THE PRECLASSIC P ERIOD:

9 00

B C -

AD

1 00

We h ave l ocated f ive P reclassic s ites i n the S ajcabaja r egion ( La L agunita being t he most i mportant), f ifteen s ites i n the Chixoy valley, and f our i n t he C ubulco-Rabinal b asins. T he Preclassic s ettlement p attern i s o bviously denser i n B aja Verapaz, which c orroborates t he r esults obtained by S edat and S harer ( in p ress) i n t he S alama valley. S antizo C omplex, While f rom t he ( Sharer,

M iddle P reclassic

( 900-300

B C)

E arly P reclassic c eramics h ave b een r eported S alama valley and s outheastern A lta Verapaz i n p ress; Arnauld, i n press), o nly o ne

2 80

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz

r e

• r t s 0

2 81

A lain I chon M IDDLE K AMINALJ UYU

1 400

-

S AJCABAJA C ANILLA

C hichaj

P ROTOHISTORIC

CHIXOY V ALLEY

A LTA V ERAPAZ

C auinal

C hican

SALAMA

CHAL-

VALLEY

CHUAPA

Chinautla PO STCLASSIC

1

1 200-

C hustum

( no n amed)

S amac

1 23I -

I

1 000

I C LASSIC Amatle I II

I L ATE

_ 800C oban 2

C anilla Amatle I I

C LASSIC 6 00-

A matle I

X occo

T ucunel ? E ARLY

E speranza Coban 1

4 00 C LASSIC

L ililla 3

Aurora

Vec

S ta C lara P ROTOCLASSIC

2 00

A renal

L ililla 2 — L ililla 1

A l B C

—

c archa

M iraflores

L ate C aynac

0

L ATE P RECLASSIC

Q uej

N oguta 2

F arly l i c

2 00-

C aynac N Oguta 1 Chul

P rovidencia Töl

4 00S antizo 2

K ai

M IDDLE 6 00 L as P RECLASSIC

C harcas

Mäx S antizo 1

8 00 -*

C ob s Xox 2

E ARLY

1 000T ok

P RECLASSIC

F ig. 4 . Verapaz.

Xox 1

Chronological

chart

2 82

f or

E l

Quiche

and Baja

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd R aja V erapaz p roblematic c omponent i s known f rom t his t ime i nterval i n our regions: decorated r ims o f t ecomates appear f requently on the s urface a t the Chiwiloy s ite l ocated near Rabinal. From Pueblo V iejo-Chixoy, one s herd b ears r ocker-stamping decoration. The earliest radio-carbon dates a re 7 30 +/9 0 BC f rom C hirramos ( Chixoy), and 6 40 +/- 1 00 f rom S an Andres S ajcabaja. The S antizo complex can b e characterized on one h and by the absence o r s carcity o f t he r ed a nd b lack l ustrous monochrome g roups which come to be the main c omponents o f the succeeding N oguta complex ( Viel 1 984:100). On t he other h and t he S antizo exclusive components a re f ew and only three t ypes appear d iagnostic o f S antizo e arly f acet. Q uiludi G ray-brown l ocally r epresents t he Early-toMiddle P reclassic t radition o f gray monochromy. B edelio Red-on-cream: v ariety A , with r ed painted l ip a nd exterior r im, i s r elated t o the Red-on-buff t radition. And F oscopi Red may b e the o nly r epresentative o f the E arly Preclassic red monochrome t radition a t L a L agunita. These t ypes s trongly decline o r disappear l ater on. I n c ontrast, two important groups c ontinue i nto the s ucceeding c omplexes, t he r ed-on-buff Corinthian g roup, originally d efined by H atch ( 1982:99) at Los Encuentros, and the o range O rfeo group. The C orinthian D aub g roup, c haracterized by p urple s tripes a nd b lotches on p lain surface, c orresponds to Arenal M atte: P urple-painted variety f rom Kaminaljuyu and to s everal types o f t he Guaymango g roup f rom Chalchuapa and Salama ( Wetherington 1 978:74; S harer a nd S edat, i n p ress). A ll t hese t ypes b egin t he r ed-on-buff t radition by the l ate M iddle P reclassic ( or earlier) a nd p ersist i n the Protoclassic phase. The C lassic r ed monochrome and r ed-on-buff t ypes c ertainly evolved f rom t his l ong P reclassic t radition. The dominant shape o f C orinthian D aub i s a j ar with s hort o utcurved n eck ( Fig. 5 ), s ometimes decorated with applique f illets. The t ecomate s hape i s a bsent. Though p rimarily a d omestic w are, C orinthian D aub a lso i ncludes three-pronged c ensers a nd i s f requently r epresented i n burial contexts a t L os E ncuentros and E l Jocote ( Ichon and H atch 1 982: F ig. 8 0; I chon a nd Grignon 1 981: F igs. 4 0 and 7 9). H atch s uggests t hat j ar m iniatures with their a pplique decoration, s ometimes anthropomorphic, a re i ndicative o f a r itual f unction. The orange Orfeo g roup i s l ocally t he e arliest r epresentative o f the well known l ustrous ware, l argely d istributed a ll over t he h ighlands during the P reclassic p hases f ollowing a t emporal s equence o f o range, then b lack, a nd f inally r ed s lips ( Orfeo, Nogaro, and Roqueno g roups a t L a L agunita). At Los Encuentros, t he G lossy O range w are i s t he equivalent o f O rfeo. The d ominant 2 83

A lain I chon

F ig.

5 .

C orinthian D aub

j ar

( J.K.

Donaldson).

s hape i s a s hallow b owl with e verted r im or l abial f lange, s ometimes d ecorated w ith p re-slip g rooves and a pplique z oomorphic p atterns ( toads, b irds, f ishes). Vessels are f ound i n f unerary c ontexts, e .g., a s et o f 1 1 vessels i n t he " shaman b urial" o f S tr. A -7 at L a L agunita ( Fig. 6 ). T his b urial, r adiocarbon dated t o AD 8 0 +/- 9 0, marks the e nd o f t he Noguta c omplex ( Ichon and V iel 1 984: F ig. 1 6). T he O rfeo g roup i s t ied to the C anales O range and V erbena R ed-orange wares o f K aminaljuyu, to t he O locuitla g roup o f C halchuapa, a nd t o t he Chopen g roup o f S alama ( Wetherington 1 978; S harer 1 978; S harer a nd S edat, i n p ress). The r esist d ecorative t echnique o f Orfeo O range U sulutan, analogous t o I zalco U sulutan o f C halchuapa a s w ell a s t o p seudo-resist decoration, s ometimes s tuccoed, d evelops l ater i n t he P rotoclassic complex. T he r ed-and-black Utatlan c eramics a re g enerally c onsidered t o b e a g ood marker f or t he M iddle a nd Late P reclassic p eriods. At L a L agunita, V iel was a ble to d efine two d ifferent g roups. T he S tendal g roup occurs i n t he S antizo c omplex while U tatlan i s diagnostic o f the N oguta c omplex a nd f ollows on i nto L ililla. The S tendal g roup i ncludes r ed-and-black a nd r ed-and-white types. The d iscriminant a ttributes o f t he group a re a specularh ematite r ed s lip o n exterior s urface a nd a g raphite b lack o r white s lip o n t he i nterior. A variety o f S tendal Reda nd-black c ombines both c olors i n z ones o n the exterior b ut without t he i ncisions o f t he Utatlan group. The most f requent s hapes a re o pen or s lightly i ncurved wall b owls a nd g lobular j ars. S tendal i s a c haracteristic o f S antizo l ate f acet, a long w ith t he unslipped C hiclo O range-brown t ype, c lassified b y V iel i nto the J ocote g roup o f B arton R amie a nd C halchuapa a nd w ith the T rovador g roup. Trovador 2 84

Ceramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz

F ig. 6 . Orfeo " shaman burial", La

orange Lagunita

Preclassic vessel ( J. P. Courau).

f rom

the

A lain I chon i ncludes p lain white s lipped, r ed-on-white, a nd incised b ichrome types, which are c ompared to the S acatepequez White Paste ware a nd to the Providencia Cream-slipped o f Kaminaljuyu. Noguta Complex,

Late

P reclassic

( 300

BC - AD

1 00)

According to Viel ( 1984:107), the e arly f acet o f Noguta ( Noguta 1 ) s hows an " accumulative" evolution i n r elation to S antizo. Most o f t he d iagnostic types o f S antizo l ate f acet continue o n, though with lower f requency ( Orfeo Orange, Orfeo O range-grooved, Chiclo Orange-brown, Trovador, Rapallo, S tendal), while s ome t ypes that had appeared i n S antizo s trongly d evelop i n Noguta 1 . I nnovations a re a lso i ntroduced, however. Those groups that develop are the l ustrous monochromes in orange and b lack, Orfeo and Nogaro. Another expanding c omponent i s C ardumen Orange-brown, a l ocal l ow-polished orange type f eaturing mostly j ars. The Nogaro g roup i s well represented in S an Andres S ajcabaja by s everal whole vessels, s ome of t hem with i ncised or applique z oomorphic decoration ( Ichon a nd Viel 1 984: F ig. 2 5). The i ncision t echnique i s characteristic o f t he coarse i ncised t ypes o f Kaminaljuyu, Chalchuapa, and Salama ( Miraflores B lack-brown ware, M iraflores Polished B lack ware, P inos group). The f ine incision o f Kaminaljuyu i s absent. However, the s trongest e laboration i n p rofile and i ncision modes o f Nogaro occur in the s ucceeding L ililla complex. Among t he i nnovations we can mention a n ew variety o f Bedelio Red-on-cream ( variety B : r ed-painted l ip) a nd most important, the l ustrous red Roqueno g roup which forms with O rfeo and Nogaro the t rio s o c haracteristic of Noguta. B ichromy i n r ed and b lack develops with the Deldongo and U tatlan g roups. The Utatlan g roup maintains i n Noguta the r ed-andb lack tradition that the Stendal group s tarted in S antizo t imes. I n E l Quiche, Utatlan c eramics appear to have been a lmost a s popular a s U sulutan c eramics were i n the s outhern h ighlands at t he s ame t ime. Arnauld s uggests t hat Utatlan and U sulutan may have h ad parallel evolutions out o f the Early P reclassic red tradition, and t hat the s trong development o f the f ormer r esulted in t he weak p opularity o f the l atter i n E l Quiche. Noguta 2 maintains only the O rfeo and Cardumen g roups f rom t he S antizo c omplex, while i t expands the t rends s howed in Noguta 1 . The l ate f acet i s characterized by t he post-slip i ncised ( versus grooved) types of the Orfeo and Nogaro groups, and a lso by t he D eldongo and U tatlan b ichromes. One new s hape, the p late, and s everal modified 2 86

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz rims make their appearance: f aceted z -angle or molding ( although present i n S antizo), s ub-labial molding or f lange, s harp Z -angle, and exterior-thickened r ims o f triangular s ection. I nterregional

Connections

During

the

P reclassic

The Santizo complex includes s ome carry-over components f rom t he Early P reclassic, e .g., Quiludi Graybrown, but no s urveyed s ite o f the S ajcabaja and Chixoy z ones can be assigned to this e arly phase. The M iddle P reclassic s eems to have been a period o f great cultural h omogeneity i n t he highlands. On one hand, numerous t ypological a ffinities l ink L a Lagunita to the Verapaz s ites o f S alama and to Los Encuentros. On the other hand, V iel emphasizes t he f act that S antizo i s s trongly related to the Conchas, L as Charcas, and Providencia complexes. He c oncludes that L a L agunita could have been the h ighland pole o f what he calls the " Conchas c eramic sphere," which would extend f rom the P acific c oast to Kaminaljuyu ( Viel 1 984:107). The d iagnostic components o f t his sphere would be the monochrome types s lipped i n gray, c ream, white, a nd l ustrous orange, a long w ith t he r ed-on-buff and r ed-onc ream types. It s hould b e mentioned t hat s ome " Olmecoid" t raits a re present on s ome o f the e arliest vessels a nd on one s tela f rom La L agunita-group A ( Viel 1 984: F ig. 5 4a; I chon 1 977:34). Viel c onsiders that t he p resence i n the upper R io Chixoy b asin o f a horizon named Conchas 1 - S antizo, marked with s ome O lmecoid i nfluence, might h ave been d eterminant i n t he emergence o f the Xe horizon i n the l owlands, among other i nfluences. S uch a conclusion does n ot contradict t he known r elationship that l inks the e arly c omplex o f S alama with t he X e horizon ( Sedat and Sharer, i n press). The end o f the Middle Preclassic period r eflects s ome d egree o f r egionalism. Viel p laces the Late P reclassic N oguta c omplex at the periphery o f the Miraflores s phere d efined by D emarest and S harer ( in p ress), a lthough i t b orrows many t raits f rom t his sphere. The dominance o f K aminaljuyu i s obvious i n l ate Middle and Late P reclassic t imes, but L a L agunita potters were developing d istinctive t raits o f t heir own. This i s i n a ccordance with the a rchitecture and s culpture at the s ite.

THE PROTOCLASSIC PERIOD L ililla Complex The

( AD

1 00

definition

- 3 50) o f

L ililla 2 87

i s

mainly,

but

n ot

A lain I chon e xclusively, b ased on s herds a nd w hole v essels f ound i n L a L agunita S tr. A -7 l evels s tratified above Noguta l evels. A rnauld d ivides L ililla i nto t hree f acets a ccording t o s tratigraphic b reaks a nd t ypological f requencies. E arly L ililla, o r L ililla 1 , r eflects a marked d ecline o f a ll N oguta c omponents, w ith t he exception o f two out o f t he t hree l ustrous monochrome g roups, r ed R oqueno a nd b lack N ogaro, which b oth p ersist. Roqueno e ven r eaches i ts maximum f requency i n L ililla 1 , while N ogaro s hows a s trong d iversification o f s hape a nd d ecorative modes, a t rend i nherited f rom t he Noguta c omplex. At t he s ame t ime, a n ew o range monochrome a ppears i n L ililla 1 , t he T upal group, a long w ith o ther m onochrome g roups, T icon, S aman, C anaba, a nd C anuto. A ll t hese c omponents d isplay a n ew s urface t reatment, distinguished b y a l ow, s omewhat s treaky polish, a s well a s new s hapes, among t hem mammiform t etrapod p lates ( Tupal, N ogaro), c omposite s ilhouette j ars with medium to-high neck ( Ticon), l arge open b owls o r basins ( Saman, Canaba) and small f lat d ishes o r bowls w ith i nterior-grooved r im ( Canuto). A long w ith the p opularity o f Vitanza B lack-onr ed, a t ype o f t he U tatlan group, the L ililla c omplex a ppears well e stablished during i ts e arly f acet. I n L ililla 2 , t he d ecline o f t he t ypes o f t he Noguta c omplex i s e ven more marked, a lthough t he Nogaro group r egains p opularity w ith a modal c ontent l argely r enewed. O therwise t here i s a s trong e xpansion o f L ililla 1 t rends. T he U sulutan types make t heir a ppearance with v ery l ow f requency. L ililla l ate f acet i s c haracterized by a general, i f n ot s trongly marked, decline o f the Protoclassic c omponents, e xcept p erhaps f or b lack a nd brown Nogaro t ypes. A lso d iagnostic i s t he o ccurrence o f n ew g roups t hat r eflect t he b eginnings o f the E arly C lassic T ucunel c omplex. Those g roups f eature complex n egative p ainting, b lack-brown s lip, b asal f langes, b asal molding, a nd r ing b ases among t he d iagnostic modes. A f ew c omments o n t he b ehavior o f s everal traditions during t he P rotoclassic p hase a re i n o rder. Four P reclassic t raditions v irtually d isappear o r s trongly d ecline d uring t he P rotoclassic a t L a L agunita: the l ustrous monochrome t radition, f or e ven t he Nogaro g roup l oses i ts l ustrous q uality i n L ililla t imes; the c reams lip t radition; a nd t he h ematite r ed a nd g raphite p ainting t raditions, a lthough t hey may r egain s ome p opularity i n E arly C lassic t imes. However t he r ed-on-buff t radition p ersists s omewhat. I n c ontrast,

t he L ililla c omplex i ntroduces 2 88

some l ong-

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz enduring traditions s uch a s C lassic b lack-brown monochromes; l arge bowls and basins; post-slip complex incising, a lthough this mode begins i n t he Noguta complex; complex b ichrome a nd polychrome p ainting represented by s everal types i n L ililla 2 and 3 , among them imported Ixcanrio and G uacamallo s herds and vessels; C lassic negative-painting ( one type i n L ililla 3 ); and C lassic tripod or r ing-based bowls with basal molding ( introduced in L ililla 3 ). These l ong-lived t raditions, however, do not define the e ntire L ililla complex a s well a s do the short-lived Protoclassic markers, mainly t he l ow polished orange monochrome types, mammiform s upport, c ertain specific r im p rofiles, U sulutan decoration, a nd s tucco painting. As a n extensive description o f the L ililla complex by Arnauld h as been r ecently published ( 1985), I will comment only on t hree o f i ts main c omponents, the Tupal and Rabolio groups a nd the U sulutan t ypes. The T upal g roup basically r esulted f rom t echnical and morphological modifications o f the l ustrous o range O rfeo a nd red Roqueno groups, which a re P reclassic. These modifications a t l east partly r esulted f rom f oreign i nfluences reaching La Lagunita. Both s tatements mean that the l ocal P reclassic t rends were r eoriented i n a determinant way a nd that this i s c learly reflected i n new p aste composition, f iring t echniques, s hapes, and s urface t reatment o f n ot only the Tupal group, but a lso Ticon and Nogaro ( Fig. 7 ), to mention only t he dominant g roups. Tupal i s t ied t o the Villalobos Red ware o f K aminaljuyu, to the Atecozol group o f Chalchuapa ( formerly Aguacate O range), a nd p robably to the Chitucan g roup o f S alama ( Wetherington 1 978:80; S harer 1 978:42; S edat and Sharer in p ress). At L os Encuentros, the equivalent ware i s Otono Red ( Hatch 1 982:132). I n Alta Verapaz, s ome s herds o f the s oft-slipped B orayo Orange type c ompare w ith T upal ( Arnauld 1 986). The Rabolio group o f censers was f irst e stablished by V iel ( 1984:83) a s a c omponent o f t he S antizo a nd Noguta c omplexes, e ssentially f or three-pronged c ensers. D uring t he Protoclassic, the s hapes and decorations a re more v aried, i ncluding open bowls with applique buttons, l adle c ensers with c ylindrical handles, p edestal b ased censers d ecorated with a human f ace i n the mouth o f a monstrous b ird, and e ffigy c ensers with a l id f iguring a nthropomorphic or z oomorphic d eities ( Fig. 8 ). The l atter a re c omparable with s ome e ffigy c ensers o f the K aminaljuyu E speranza phase. As f or t he U sulutan decoration mode, i t i s hardly p opular i n L ililla, probably b ecause o f t he d evelopment o f t he Utatlan t radition. I t occurs, though badly executed, i n one l ocal O rfeo orange type. Two U sulutan types were 2 89

A lain I chon

: 11 ' M r . :77 4 7 . .1 . = 111. 7 " Mr117 . M err

a

F ig. 7 . P rotoclassic T etrapod mammiform bowl, Donaldson).

vessels f rom Nogaro Brown.

La L agunita. a ) b ) T icon j ar ( J.K.

i mported i n s mall quantities, Sacluc B lack-on-orange from the P asion z one o f the l owlands, a nd Verbena I vory from K aminaljuyu ( or I zalco U sulutan f rom Chalchuapa). The f ormer i mport i ndicates s ome c onnection with the l owlands, which i s c onfirmed by the presence o f 1 2 Ixcanrio and Guacamallo Orange Polychrome i mported vessels in tomb C-44 a nd cave C-48 ( Fig. 9 ). I nterregional

Connections

During

the

P rotoclassic

One c ontextual f act s hould b e mentioned f irst: the S ajcabaja and C anilla z ones experienced a demographic b urst during t he P rotoclassic phase ( the number o f dated

2 90

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz

F ig. E arly

Fig.

8 . Rabolio C lassic ( J.P.

9 .

e ffigy Courau).

I xcanrio

censer,

Polychrome

Courau). 2 91

La

bowl,

Lagunita Cave C-48,

La

Lagunita

( J.P.

A lain I chon s ites j umps f rom 5 to 3 9). This i s n ot t he case, h owever, i n t he Baja Verapaz and middle Chixoy areas, where only a f ew s ites d isplay Protoclassic material, exclusively i n f unerary contexts. The demographic burst around La Lagunita, a long with the s trong distinctiveness o f the L ililla complex, points t o a population i ntrusion. But, a s we a lready m entioned c oncerning the Tupal g roup, there was n o intrusion o f f oreign ceramics. What probably h appened i s that the L a L agunita potters r eceived n ew t echniques and i deas from f oreign groups who may have migrated into the S ajcabajaC anilla z one. The o rigin o f these new techniques and i deas are Kaminaljuyu and Chalchuapa, o r perhaps more. g enerally western E l S alvador, s ince the s imilarities that l ink L ililla with Late Caynac a re n umerous and s trong.[2] Both c omplexes s how a P reclassic h eritage o f l ustrous monochrome types in o range, b lack, and red. Both r eflect t he s ame i nnovative trends i n the b lack groups ( Nogaro at L a L agunita, P inos at Chalchuapa [ Sharer 1 978]) a nd i n the n ew orange monochrome groups ( Tupal and T icon; A tecozol and S oyapango [ ibid.]). They c onsistently s hare t he same modal i nventory o f r im moldings, s upport shapes, a nd decoration modes. However, U sulutan types are much more popular i n Caynac than i n L ililla, where Utatlan types probably s ubstituted f or them. Otherwise, L ililla s hows s ome a ffinities with Protoclassic and Early C lassic c eramics f rom the w estern h ighlands, s pecifically w ith b ichrome t ypes and r itual pottery f rom Z acualpa, Totonicapan, a nd Z aculeu. Marked c onnections may even be f ound with t he S alcajaMomostenango c eramics. La Lagunita a pparently took p art i n t he development o f new western h ighlands trends in s ervice and r itual pottery. The relationship with the V erapaz Terminal P reclassic or Protoclassic c omplexes appears more l imited to a f ew " Protoclassic markers" and those c omplexes ( at Los Encuentros i n the Chixoy valley a nd i n the S alama valley) do not r eflect t he s trong d istinctiveness o f L ililla. Even t hough La Lagunita may have h elped spread the P rotoclassic h orizon up t o the Verapaz, i t s eems t hat some s ort o f c eramic frontier was in f ormation b etween E l Quiche and t he Verapaz. S uch a f rontier can be traced c learly during t he C lassic periods. I t i s important to emphasize t hat 6 0% o f the e ntire L ililla a ssemblage i s purely Protoclassic, showing only s ome modal connections with the P reclassic S antizo-Noguta complexes and with t he s ucceeding E arly C lassic T ucunel complex. This f act j ustifies the retention of t he old c oncept o f " Protoclassic h orizon" which appears s trongly p resent a t La Lagunita while s poradically r epresented in the western and northern h ighlands. D uring

the

f irst

c entury 2 92

AD,

t he

l ocal

Preclassic

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz e volution at L a L agunita r eceived a s trong s timulus f rom western E l Salvador and Kaminaljuyu. However, because o nly eight o f t he f ourteen c omponents that define the M iraflores sphere, according t o Demarest and S harer ( in p ress), h ave equivalence i n L ililla, we f eel that this c omplex s hould n ot be included i n the M iraflores sphere. W illa, i n much t he s ame way a s i ts preceding complex, r emains at t he periphery o f this sphere. Arnauld ( 1985:187, F ig. 4 1) tentatively i dentifies La Lagunita as t he diffusion c enter i n a P rotoclassic sphere d istinct f rom Miraflores and g ives a provisional spatial a nd t axonomic definition o f i t. Obviously this definition s till requires a l arge comparative r eview o f a ll the c eramic c omplexes i nvolved.

THE EARLY CLASSIC PERIOD E arly Tucunel

Complex

( AD

3 50

- 4 50)

This early f acet, Tucunel 1 , i s defined p rimarily on t he basis of the 2 40 c lassified vessels obtained from cave C -48 of La Lagunita ( Ichon and Arnauld 1 985:205-235). The o verlap with P rotoclassic L ililla i s very s trong, a s 9 0% o f the vessels p ertain to L ililla types Tupal Orange-red, N ogaro B lack, Nogaro B rown, and Canuto Brown. We s uspect, however, that t he c ave contains a number of heirlooms. T hese typologically-Lililla v essels c learly r eflect an expansion of E arly C lassic modes s uch as basal f lange, b asal molding, r ing b ase, a nd complex resist decoration ( different f rom U sulutan). I n f act, 2 3% o f the L ililla v essels r epresent t he c omplete i nventory o f those types d iagnostic o f L ililla 3 , mainly t he b lack-brown Chitac g roup and b ichrome t ypes ( Choton Orange-on-gray, Z ope R esist B ichrome, and Jelic Red-on-orange). The r emaining 1 0% include i mported types and new modes: E speranza F lesh j ars, d uck-pots, cream p itchers, f loreros, t ripod c ylinders ( which differ f rom those o f Kaminaljuyu), pots tands and effigy censers. Thin Orange i s absent. The Chitac g roup i s characterized by a l ow p olished b lack-brown s lip and by t hin walled open or cylindrical bowls. I t i ncludes three types: p lain, r ed painted, and f luted. Tripod cylinders, red p ainted and f ingeri mpressed, are sometimes s tuccoed. Other dominant s hapes a re the l arge, open, r ing based bowl, which Chitac shares w ith the Nogaro group, the small open bowl with i ncised a nd s tuccoed d ecoration, and the tripod bowl with basal molding and h orizontal f luting ( Fig. 1 0a). Chitac i s s imilar to t he b lack-brown c eramics so common i n the h ighlands a ll d uring the C lassic p eriod, e specially to the R io Negro B lack-brown ware o f the Chixoy valley defined by H atch ( 1982), to Chichicaste B lack-brown o f A lta Verapaz, Polished B lack and Polished B rown o f Z aculeu, and Cambalam B lack and Chemala P olished Red o f Nebaj ( Arnauld, i n 2 93

A lain I chon

F ig. 1 0. Early C lassic vessels 4 8. a ) Chitac t ripod bowl. b ) ( Y. Baudoin).

p ress; Woodbury 1 969:151-154).

and

Trik

f rom La Lagunita C ave CTupal Red-on-orange bowl

1 953:120-124,

1 49;

Becquelin

The Z ope g roup i s r epresented by a f ew r esistdecorated vessels f rom various tombs and burials a t La Lagunita. The s hapes are open b owls, f lat bottomed or r ing based, and t ripod c ylinders with hollow cylindrical s upports. The Z ope O range-on-black t ype i s comparable w ith the Xolacul Resist o f Nebaj, while the gray and b eigeon-red type i s more r elated to t he Xecua Polychrome of Nebaj, or to the Z aculeu Resist-painted ( Becquelin 1 969:148-149; Woodbury and Trik 1 953:197, Fig. 1 13). A . C iudad ( 1982:185) argues that the bichrome r ed-onc ream Jelic group f irst appeared i n T otonicapan during the E arly C lassic a nd that i t p ersisted until the E arly Postclassic. Only f our sherds were f ound i n the f ill o f La Lagunita tomb C-44, while abundant s herds were found at Canilla ( Los Cerritos-Chijoj) and a f ew whole vessels i n t he Chixoy valley, a ll i n Late C lassic contexts. One Jelic type displays d istinctive p atterns painted i n r ed and b lack o n a c ream or orange background, sometimes with b lack r esist z ones. 2 94

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz Other i nnovative b ichrome decorative modes i ntroduced by t he Tucunel c omplex occur on tetrapod, t ripod, or unsupported open bowls o f Choton Orange-on-gray a nd Tupal Red-on-orange ( Fig. 1 0b). Choton i s a lso r epresented at the S an Andres S ajcabaja s ite. On Tupal bowls f rom cave C4 8, a recurrent p attern i s a stylized spider monkey. Additional modes t hat help define T ucunel i nclude decorated basal o r l ateral f lange, post-firing i ncision, applique buttons and knobs ( sometimes d i-symmetric), calabash-shaped b owls with p inched r im, and a complex polychrome pattern i n red, pink, green, yellow, and b lack upon a s tuccoed s urface. I n s pite o f the innovative modal content o f Tucunel, t he bulk of the data f rom c ave C -48 and from s ites a djacent to La Lagunita i s s uggestive o f a s low and continuous t ransition b etween P rotoclassic L ililla and Early C lassic Tucunel. I nterregional

C onnections

During

the

Early C lassic

In contrast with L ililla, the n ew s hape a nd decoration modes o f T ucunel apparently do not proceed f rom E l S alvador. I n f act, the Early C lassic c eramics f rom Chalchuapa are no l onger r elated to Kaminaljuyu and l ack any Teotihuacan i nfluence ( Sharer 1 978:127). S ome a spects o f the T ucunel complex, however, could be c ompared w ith the C lassic Vec and Xocco complexes at Chalchuapa. T eotihuacan i nfluences do not s eem to be s ignificant at L a L agunita e ither. F ive radiocarbon dates o f cave C -48 ( AD 3 50-400) prove t he contemporaneity o f T ucunel and E speranza, but i t i s obvious t hat b oth complexes were e volving a long d ifferent l ines. A s triking f act i s the s carcity o f data available for t he Early ( and Middle?) C lassic period, not only i n the C hixoy v alley, where i t appears hardly represented, but a lso in the I xil z one ( see B ecquelin 1 969), at Z acualpa ( Balam 2 i s e quivalent to Tucunel), i n A lta Verapaz ( Coban 1 complex), and eastward to t he l ake I zabal basin. I n the Chiapas h ighlands, a s alvage program i n the l ower G rijalva valley has l ed to the s ame conclusion about the " absence" o f E arly C lassic s ites ( Silva n .d.). One p ossible r eason f or t his l ies i n t he s trong c eramic c ontinuity b etween t he Early C lassic a nd L ate C lassic c omplexes, a s emphasized by Arnauld ( this volume) i n Alta V erapaz. Such a c ontinuity would preclude t he existence o f a Middle C lassic phase a s defined by Teotihuacan i nfluences. R ather, we might s ee the Early C lassic phase a s a l ong t ransition period, with L ate P reclassic and P rotoclassic t raits b eing s lowly replaced by L ate C lassic c omponents.

2 95

A lain I chon THE LATE CLASSIC PERIOD:

AD

6 00-900

The p resent definition o f our L ate C lassic c omplexes i s p rovisional a s the c eramic m aterial is s till being c lassified. The data c ome f rom t he Los Cerritos-Chijoj s ite, one o f t he main C lassic c enters i n the S ajcabajaCanilla z one ( El Quiche), and f rom o ur excavations in t he Chixoy valley c enters, among them Los Encuentros ( Baja Verapaz). The Chixoy valley c omplex a ppears to b e a g ood equivalent to the Coban 2 c omplex, more specifically t o i ts " Tactic v ersion" which spatially covers the n orthern part o f Baja Verapaz ( Arnauld 1 986). The d omestic s ubcomplex includes the Chixoy Coarse ware, which duplicates Chatillas Smoothed, a nd a carry-over o f C orinthian Daub, which may perhaps p ertain to Mostaza Redon-buff ( Coban 2 ). Common s hapes t o be f ound a re j ars, g enerally decorated with two applique " Ahau" p ellets, s hallow bowls or comales ( with i nterior f inger-made orange d ecoration), and deep f lat-bottomed basins w ith two handles. There a re three s hapes o f censers: a ladle c enser with l ooped handle, a spiked b owl, and an h ourglasss haped c enser profusely decorated w ith a s olar o r macabre d eity. The l ocally made s ervice-ritual s ubcomplex i ncludes b lack-brown and positive painted b ichrome types. The R io N egro b lack-brown ware probably derives f rom t he P reclassic Nogaro and Protoclassic-Early C lassic Chitac g roups o f L a Lagunita ( Fig. 1 1). I t compares w ell with Chichicaste B lack-brown ( Coban 2 ). T he most popular shape a nd decoration modes include: l ateral molding in v ery l ow r elief, r ing bases, three c onical hollow s upports, g lobular bowls or cylinders ( ring based or t ripod) decorated with vertical f luting, applique pellets, and f inger impressions. S econd i n importance after b lackbrown monochromy comes the b ichrome R uano group. S imple p atterns, characteristically s treaky owing to polishing on wet paint, decorate cylinders and o pen bowls in r ed on a b uff b ackground, s ometimes w ith b lack patterns a dded i n r esist t echnique ( Fig. 1 2). Ruano may be related to s everal r ed-on-orange or r ed-on-cream highland types, among ‚ them G irasol Red-on-orange, E neldo Red-on-cream o f A lta Verapaz ( Coban 2 ), and Amatle B ichrome: B uff-ono range variety o f Kaminaljuyu ( Amatle and P amplona phases). At Los Encuentros, a r elatively l arge number o f r itual-funerary vessels were i mported f rom A lta V erapaz, e specially the n icely polished and d ecorated Nitro White I ncised type ( Cream-on-Mikado B rown f rom Chipoc [ R. Smith 1 952]). Such i mports are s carce o r even absent i n the western s ites upstream in the Chixoy valley. T he Los Encuentros material displays s ome l owland influences which 2 96

Ceramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz

F ig. 1 1. Late C lassic vessels, Rio Negro B lack-brown g roup. a ) t ripod bowl. b ) g lobular bowl, f luted. From C hirramos, Chixoy valley ( G. Valenzuela).

p robably reached the

s ite v ia

the Coban d istrict.

As a lready s tated and pending f urther analysis, the p rimary i nterregional c onnection o f the middle Chixoy c omplex s eems to be with the Late C lassic Coban 2 complex o f Alta Verapaz and northern B aja Verapaz ( Tactic d istrict). The Canilla complex o f Los Cerritos-Chijoj ( El Q uiche) shares a f ew types with Coban 2 . However, i t a ppears more o riented toward the western, and s econdarily the northern, h ighlands. S imilarities a re s een with s uch L ate C lassic c omplexes a s Pokom ( Zacualpa), Totonicapan ( Agua T ibia), a nd Chinaq ( Zaculeu). 2 97

A lain I chon

, 7d i e .› le tne re

"

a

A ,4 , d i k

/// ( 4 i„ ,

e de l. , g e z eu .

F ig. 1 2. L ate C lassic vessels, R uano g roup, f rom the C hixoy valley, a ) b ichrome a nd r esist-painted. b ) b ichrome r ed-on-buff ( G. Valenzuela).

The m ain d ifferences b etween t he C anilla and C hixoyC oban 2 c omplexes c an be s ummarized. T he C anilla d omestic s ubcomplex l acks t he Chixoy C oarse/Chatillas-Mostaza c omponents. I n c ontrast, l ocal markers are d entate s tamping a nd c hain-like applique f illets o n the r im and n eck o f r ed s lipped j ars, modes t hat a re a bsent f rom the C hixoy v alley b ut a re quite popular i n t he C anilla a s well a s T otonicapan c omplexes ( Bulux R ed I ncised or I mpressed [ Ciudad 1 984:155]). The Canilla r itual subcomplex i ncludes l adle c ensers w ith l oop h andles or w ith applique d ecorated h ollow h andles, a nd h ourglass c ensers s howing a nthropo-zoomorphic d ecoration quite d ifferent f rom t hat o f t he Chixoy c ensers. Furthermore t he l ocal b ichrome Ruano g roup r epresents o nly 1 % o f t he s herds at C anilla. Most i mportant a re t he J elic t ypes ( 3.3%), e ither b ichrome ( red-on-orange) or t richrome ( red-and-black-on-orange, s ometimes r esist) a long w ith a n a lmost g lossy b lack-brown 2 98

C eramic Development i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz type ( 2.6%). T he l atter i s a c lose r elative o f the Early C lassic Chitac g roup r ather than of the Rio Negro B lackbrown of the C hixoy valley. I n spite o f i ts s trong western connection, Canilla does i nclude a r elatively s ignificant quantity o f polychrome s herds f rom vessels imported f rom Chama and possibly a lso from the l owlands. To c onclude, the ceramic t raditions o f the Early C lassic Tucunel complex--red-on-buff bichromy, r esist painting, Rabolio c ensers, p olished thin walled b lackbrown bowls, stuccoed decoration--still persist during the C lassic Tucunel c omplex r ed-on-buff bichromy, resist painting, Rabolio c ensers, polished t hin walled b lackbrown bowls, s tuccoed decoration-still persist during the Late C lassic phase, e specially i n the Canilla complex. The strong diversification o f s hape a nd d ecoration modes that characterizes the Coban 2 c omplex o f A lta Verapaz cannot be f ound i n Canilla. These differences i n evolution between E l Quiche the west and B aja Verapaz to the e ast s hould be r elated regional population dynamics. We observe a decrease the dated s ites of the S ajcabaja-Canilla z one ( from 3 9 2 6). The r everse applies to the Baja Verapaz z one, l east in the Chixoy valley ( an i ncrease f rom 7 to 2 3).

to to in to at

THE EPICLASSIC OR EARLY POSTCLASSIC PERIOD: AD 9 00 - 1 000 After the momentum r epresented by the Late C lassic complexes in h ighland ceramic evolution, comes what i s apparently a t ransitional phase. The ceramic a ssemblage known f rom L os Encuentros combines t he domestic and s ervice s ubcomplexes i nherited without major change from the Late C lassic Chixoy-Coban 2 complexes, a long with an e ntirely new r itual-funerary s ubcomplex, many vessels of which were p robably imported f rom t he l owlands. The p ersistence o f Late C lassic traits i n ceramics, and a lso i n settlement p atterns and architecture, i s s o marked that we s ubstitute the term " Epiclassic" f or " Early P ostclassic." I n the S ajcabaja-Canilla z one, t he Epiclassic s ubcomplex i s s till poorly known but some data have been obtained f rom i ntrusive burials a t La Lagunita and from C lassic tombs o f Los Cerritos-Chijoj l ooted in Epiclassic t imes. Otherwise, the domestic-service c eramic s ubcomplexes c ontinue unchanged f rom Late C lassic to Epiclassic t imes. I t i s i n the Chixoy valley, however, and e specially i n the main c enter o f Los Encuentros that we were able to define most of the Epiclassic t raits, The i ncludes

Epiclassic f unerary s ubcomplex three well-known components o f 2 99

i n both z ones f oreign origin:

A lain I chon " Mixtec" c ensers, d istributed i n s carce q uantities, F ine O range o f t he A ltar g roup r epresented by one vessel a nd a f ew s herds, a nd T ohil P lumbate. The l atter i s most a bundant a nd f eatures a variety o f s hapes and d ecoration i ncluding open bowls w ith a c oncave b ottom o r three b ulbous s upports, p yriform j ars, g lobular j ars w ith f luted o r e ffigy d ecoration r epresenting M exican deities, a nd z oomorphic vessels. T hree o ther g roups, a lso f rom b urial c ontexts, c ould h ave b een l ocally made, b ut the a ssociated s hape a nd d ecorative modes a re obviously imported. F irst, Polished R ed-orange i ncludes p yriform j ars, cylindrical g oblets w ith p edestal, open t ripod bowls w ith anthropo-zoomorphic molded s upports, and l idded v essels w ith h uman-head e ffigy. S econd, t he r ed-on-cream o pen bowls are d ecorated w ith p arallel r ed s tripes p ainted o n a thick cream s lip, while o pen t ripod bowls w ith h igh cylindrical s upports d isplay p ainted, i ncised a nd c arved g eometric d esigns. This g roup c orresponds t o Wauchope's ( 1970:164; s ee a lso Arnauld 1 986) Red-on-incised white o r Carved Red-on-tan a t Z acualpa, a nd t o J amaica B ichrome I ncised o f Alta Verapaz ( Samac c omplex). Third, t he r esist p ainted type, which i s p robably r elated t o Z aculeu R esist-painted, h as b lackb rown p atterns o f s tripes, d ots, a nd b irds a gainst a c ream b ackground. The most c ommon shape i s t he open t ripod bowl w ith z oomorphic molded s upports. The e xistence o f an Epiclassic t ransitional p hase h as b een d enied b y C iudad ( 1984:155) f or the Samala valley ( Totonicapan), a nd S tewart ( 1977:69) a nd Brown ( 1982:42) i n t he S anta C ruz d el Q uiche a rea. T his may be due to the f act t hat no s pectacular c hanges o ccur i n t he c eremonial c enters d uring t his p eriod, a nd t hat t he specific n ew t raits a re l imited t o r eligious-funerary practices and c eramics, a nd e ven t hen a re o ften d ifficult to detect. R ather, t he a ppearance o f t hese f oreign i nnovations i s t o b e c onsidered a s a p henomenon q uite e xtensive i n the n orthern a nd western h ighlands, a nd c onsistent w ith the m igration o f f oreign--possibly C hontal--groups moving s outhward a long the U sumacinta ( see F ox 1 980). S uch a n i ntrusion would p redate the s o-called Toltec invasions o f t he twelfth c entury.

THE P OSTCLASSIC

PERIOD:

AD 1 100

- 1 550

A ssuming t he e xistence a nd dating o f t he Epiclassic t ransition p hase, I a ssign t he Postclassic p eriod to the t ime i nterval AD 1 100-1524. I t i s c haracterized by the p resence o f E pi-Toltec a nd Q uiche p opulations in e astern Q uiche a nd B aja Verapaz. F ollowing C armack's ( 1979) and F ox's ( 1980) h istorical r econstructions o f Postclassic m igrations i nto t he h ighlands a nd t he f oundation o f the U tatlan " kingdom," I t entatively d ivide this period i nto 3 00

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz two phases: the Postclassic ( 1100-1250) and t he P rotohistoric p eriod ( AD 1 250-1550). However, t his division s till h as to be confirmed by the analysis o f the c eramics i nvolved. In the S ajcabaja z one, the high, defensive c eremonial center of Los C imientos-Chustum gave two r adiocarbon dates of AD 1 110 and 1 160 +/- 9 0 ( GIF:3601 and 3 602), and may have been o ne o f the earliest " Acropolis" s ites ( Fox 1 980:46). Quite d ifferent i n many a spects, the l ater s ite o f Pueblo Viejo-Chichaj functioned a s a Quiche outpost o f Utatlan i n the S ierra de Chuacus a nd was probably s till o ccupied a t t he t ime o f the c onquest. I n the Chixoy valley, Cauinal was the major c enter, and downstream Pueblo Viejo-Chixoy was an advanced outpost f acing t he Pokom of A lta Verapaz on the Quiche f rontier. F rom Cauinal upstream, t he valley was s cattered with s everal small centers every 3 4 km a long the r iver up to Chimul. The valley s ection between Chimul and S acapulas, on the other h and, was a lmost completely unoccupied. I n a ll the c ivic-religious buildings o f C auinal and t he smaller c enters, we have observed t he existence o f two c onstruction periods and a c lear evolution i n t he architectural s tyle. S uch an evolution, however, i s not apparent i n the c eramic material. The radiocarbon datings o f Cauinal a re not c onclusive, but t his main c enter and a ssociated smaller centers could h ave been o ccupied f rom approximately AD 1 300 to the c onquest. A ll those s ites are l ocated at the bottom o f the valley and thus c ould not be u sed a s " Acropolis" c enters ( see above, Los C imientos-Chustum), one possible r eason f or t he occupational gap observed i n t he valley f rom AD 1 150 to 1 300. The definition o f ceramic c omplexes f or t hese P ostclassic and P rotohistoric periods, a s well a s the e volution o f c onstruction phase 1 to phase 2 c eramics i n t he Protohistoric c enters o f the Chixoy valley, must wait f or further a nalysis o f the material. Concerning the w estern z one, we s uspect that t he abundant s herds f rom Los C imientos-Chustum and r elated Postclassic s ites north o f S an Andres S ajcabaja will g reatly help define a P ostclassic " Acropolis" c eramic c omplex to b e n amed " Chustum." This complex i s apparently unrepresented i n t he Chixoy valley. I n the Chixoy valley, a preliminary c lassification o f the ceramics f rom Cauinal has been worked out by H ill and Ward ( 1980). This P rotohistoric Cauinal, complex o ffers a variety o f s ervice-ritual t ypes, among which three a ppear i nherited f rom Epiclassic t imes ( Polished Red, Redon-cream i ncised, and Carved). One important a ssociated mode i s the z oomorphic molded s upport. But f ive new types r eflect the development o f b ichromy and polychromy i n r ed3 01

A lain I chon o n-white ( Chinautla P olychrome s tyle), i n white-on-red ( the F ortress t ype), i n r ed-and-black o n a white s lip ( Chinautla P olychrome), a s w ell a s t he appearance o f molded d ecoration on l adle c ensers. Common s hapes a ssociated w ith t he p ainted t ypes a re t ripod z oomorphic b owls a nd c remation u rns. The domestic s ubcomplex i ncludes s everal t ypes d efined b y H ill a nd Ward o n the b asis o f t echnical a ttributes. Three a dditional c omponents s hould b e defined, a b lack-and-white-on-red p olychrome, a pparently l imited t o t he Chixoy v alley, a nd two domestic g roups, one m icaceous a nd t he other w ith vesicular p aste. Among t he d iagnostic modes o f t he C auinal complex, w e m ay mention molded o r i mpressed d ecoration, present not o nly on z oomorphic s upports ( an E piclassic c arry-over) but a lso o n l adle c ensers, f igurines, a nd s eals; high n ecked j ars w ith c oncave bottom a nd s trap h andles; a nd the g enuine f lat, s lab-shaped c omal. H ill a nd Ward c onclude t hat t he C auinal c eramics were g enerally h ome-made a nd t hat t his c enter h ad f ew c ontacts w ith t he c entral h ighlands, b ecause the Chinautla and F ortress p olychrome t ypes a re s carce i n t he C hixoy v alley. I t i s i nteresting t o n ote t hat t he C lassic c eramic f rontier which d ivided E l Q uiche f rom B aja Verapaz s till e xisted i n P ostclassic a nd P rotohistoric t imes. As a matter o f f act, t his f rontier s till c an b e t raced a long t he p resent a dministrative b order b etween both d epartments. C himul, t he westernmost P rotohistoric c enter i n t he Chixoy v alley upstream f rom C auinal, i s l ocated on t his b order. Most s ites o f t he Chixoy valley and R abinalC ubulco b asins, i ncluding Cahyup a nd C huitinamit, s how a r emarkably h omogeneous c ivic-religious a rchitecture which d iffers f rom t hat o f E l Q uiche c enters. I n addition to t he Chican c omplex o f A lta Verapaz ( Arnauld 1 986), which s eems t o s tand a part, t he d efinition o f two P rotohistoric c eramic c omplexes, o ne f or S outhern Q uiche, t he other for t he C hixoy valley a nd B aja Verapaz, would g reatly c ontribute t o c larification o f t he t emporal and r egional d ifferences a nd a llow a f irmer i nterpretation of r elated e thnohistorical s ources.

A cknowledgments T his s tudy c ould n ot h ave been c onducted without the c ollaboration o f R ene V iel f or t he P reclassic, and Marie C harlotte Arnauld f or t he P rotoclassic a nd E arly C lassic c eramic t ypologies. I am e specially g rateful to Marie C harlotte f or r eviewing my manuscript a nd f or her h elpful s uggestions.

3 02

C eramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz Notes [ ]1.

The

S an Andres

Sajcabaja

Project was

an

program o f the Centre National de S cientifique, d irected by Henri Lehmann. Project was directed by Alain I chon.

investigation l a

Recherche The Chixoy

[ 2.] The taxonomic l ogics of the La Lagunita and Chalchuapa typologies are s imilar, but both differ f rom the logics applied to the Kaminaljuyu ceramics by Wetherington ( 1978). This f act c ertainly a ffects the process of comparison ( see Demarest and Sharer, in press).

ADAMS, 1 971

References R .E. W. The Ceramics o f Altar de Sacrificios, Papers of the P eabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

ARNAULD, 1 985

1 986

B ROWN, 1 982

M .C. " La c gramique de l a s tructure A-7 de La Lagunita," in Le Protoclassique a La Lagunita, E l Quiche, Guatemala, ed. A . I chon, pp. 1 03-190 ( Paris: I nstitut d 'Ethnologie). "Archeologie de ( Guatemala)," Mesoamericaines.

l 'habitat en Alta Verapaz CEMCA, Coll. E studes S erie I , vol. 1 0. Mexico.

K .L. " Prehistoric Demography within the C entral Quiche Area, Guatemala," in The H istorical Demography o f H ighland Guatemala, eds. R . M. Carmack, J . Early and C . Lutz, pp. 3 5-47, I nstitute f or Mesoamerican Studies Publication 6 ( Albany: State University of New York).

CARMACK, 1 979

R . M. " Evoluciön del Centroamericana Guatemala.

C IUDAD RUIZ, A . 1 984 " Arqueologia de H ispanica. I nst. Madrid.

de

reino las

Quiche," Ciencias

Biblioteca Sociales.

Agua Tibia," Ed. Cultura de Cooperaciön I beroamericana.

n . d.

" Desarrollo c eramic° Guatemala," Mimeo.

D EMAREST, i n press

A . A., AND R .J. SHARER " Late Preclassic Ceramic Spheres, Culture Areas and Cultural Evolution i n the Southeastern Highlands of Mesoamerica," in The Southern 3 03

en

e l

a lto

S amala,

A lain I chon Periphery and P . A. Press). FOX, 1 980

of Mesoamerica, Urban ( Austin:

eds. E . M. University

S chortman o f Texas

J .W " Lowland to Highland Mexicanization Processes i n Southern Mesoamerica," American Antiquity 4 5(1):43-54.

HATCH, 1 982

M .P. " La Cgramique de Los Encuentros," in Archgologie de s auvetage dans l a vallge du Rio Chixoy, no. 4 , Los Encuentros, ed. A . I chon, pp. 8 7-150 ( Paris: I nstitut d 'Ethnologie).

H ILL, 1 980

R . M., AND C .F. WARD " Informe del e studio preliminar de la c erämica de Cauinal, E l Quiche, Guatemala," Univ. de P ennsylvania. Mimeo.

I CHON, 1 977

A . Les s cuptures de La Lagunita, El Quiche. Guatemala, ( Paris: Institut d 'Ethnologie).

1 982

" Identification de quelques sites protohistoriques dans l a rggion de Rabinal et de Cubulco," i n Cahiers de l a R .C.P. 500, no. 4 . pp. 5 5-77 ( Paris: Institut d 'Ethnologie).

I CHON, 1 985

A .,

I CHON, 1 981

A .,

1 983

AND M .C. ARNAULD Le Protoclassique a La Guatemala ( Paris: Institut

Lagunita, El d 'Ethnologie).

AND R . GRIGNON CHEESMAN Archgologie de sauvetage dans l a vallge du Rio Chixoy, no. 3 . E l Jocote ( Paris: I nstitut d 'Ethnologie). Archeologie de s auvetage, no. 5 . c lassiques de l a vallee moyenne ( Paris: I nstitut d'Ethnologie).

I CHON, 1 982

A .,

I CHON, 1 984

A .,

Quiche,

AND M .P. HATCH Archgologie de Chixoy, no. 4 . d 'Ethnologie).

s auvetage d ans Los Encuentros

Les du

s ites Chixoy

la vallee de Rio ( Paris: I nstitut

AND R . VIEL La periode Formative a La Lagunita et dans le Quiche meridional ( Guatemala). Paris: I nstitut d 'Ethnologie).

SEDAT, D . W., AND R .J. SHARER i n press Archaeological I nvestigations

3 04

in

the

S alama

Ceramic D evelopment i n E l Q uiche a nd B aja V erapaz Valley, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. University Museum Monographs). SHARER, 1 978

R .J. The Prehistory of Chalchuapa, E l 3 : Pottery and Conclusions, University of Pennsylavnia Press).

( Philadelphia:

Salvador, vol. ( Philadelphia,

SHOOK, 1 978

E . M., AND M .P. HATCH " The ruins of E l Archaeology 3 (1) California).

SHOOK, 1 952

E . M., AND A . V. KIDDER Mound E -III-4, Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington Publication 5 96, Contribution 5 3 ( Washington, D .C.).

S ILVA, n .d.

C .

SMITH, 1 955

A .L. Archaeological Reconnaissance i n Central Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication 6 08 ( Washington, D .C.).

SMITH, 1 952

R .E. Pottery from Chipoc, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication 5 96, Contribution 5 6 ( Washington, D .C.).

" Asentamientos del C läsico Tardio en e l bajo Grijalva," paper presented at the f irst Coloquio I nternacional de Mayistas ( 1985), UNAM, Mexico.

S TEWART, 1 977

V IEL, 1 984

Balsamo," Journal of New World ( Los Angeles: University of

R . " Classic to Postclassic Period Settlement Trends in the Region of S anta Cruz del Quiche," in Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Central Quiche, eds. D . Wallace and R . M. Carmack, pp. 6 88 1 ( Albany: State University of New York).

R . " La c eramique de la structure A-6 de La Lagunita," in La Periode Formative a La Lagunita et dans l e Quiche meridional, ed. A . I chon ( Paris: I nstitut d'Ethnologie).

WAUCHOPE, 1 970

R . " Protohistoric Pottery of the Guatemala Highlands," i n Monographs and Papers in Maya Archaeology, ed. W .R. Bullard, pp. 8 9-244. Papers of the Peabody Museum, vol. 6 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

1 975

Zacualpa, Provincial

E l Quiche, Guatemala: An Ancient Center o f the Highland Maya, Middle 3 05

A lain I chon American Orleans:

Research I nstitute Tulane University).

Publication

3 9

( New

WETHERINGTON, R .K . 1 978 The Ceramics of Kaminaljuyu, Monograph s eries on Kaminaljuyu ( University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press). WOODBURY, 1 953

R .B., AND A .S. The Ruins o f Byrd Press).

TRIK Z aculeu,

3 06

( Richmond:

The William

1 3 R eg iona l C eram ic D eve lopmen t i n t he N or thern H igh lands , A l ta V erapaz , Gua tema la : C lass ic a nd P os tc lass ic Ma ter ia l M arie C harlotte A rnauld

This p aper d iscusses the r egional c eramic s equence of s outhern A lta V erapaz ( AVP) i n the northern h ighlands o f Guatemala. The d epartment o f AVP i s l ocated e ast o f the middle C hixoy valley a nd s outh o f t he P eten l owlands ( Fig. 1 ). An e astern e xtension o f the Cuchumatanes range, the S ierra de A lta Verapaz c rosses t he department f rom west to e ast and d ivides i t i nto a northern and s outhern z one. The northern z one i s t ransitional to t he P eten l owlands while t he s outhern z one i s p art o f t he h ighlands. Adjacent r egions l ocated i n the northern h ighlands are Baja Verapaz ( BVP) t o the s outh and the I xil z one to the west. The C lassic and P ostclassic c eramic evolution o f t hese r egions p resent s imilarities with the AVP s equence, but only data f rom t he I xil z one a re briefly r eviewed a s c ompared t o t hose o f s outhern AVP ( for BVP c eramics, s ee I chon, a nd S harer and S edat, t his volume). A lthough r eferences w ill a lso b e made t o the Chama s equence the major focus will be on material f rom s outhern AVP.[1] F igure 2 s ummarizes contextual i nformation f or most o f the ceramic d ata available f or AVP a nd t he I xil z one. A s i ndicated, t he c ollections a ssembled a re h eterogeneous and d ifferent methods o f a nalysis h ave been u sed, c onditions t hat do n ot f acilitate i ntersite c omparisons. Much a ttention must b e paid to t he f unctional c ontext a nd to t he intrinsic c haracteristics o f r ecovered material s o a s t o differentiate the v arious f unctional s ubcomplexes: u tilitarian ( comales, j ars, basins, l arge bowls, duckp ots),[2] r itual ( censers), f unerary ( pottery f ound i n b urials), a nd f ine " service" s ubcomplexes ( Sabloff 1 975:236). F igure 3 p rovides a c oarse t emporal correlation o f the AVP and I xil z one c eramic complexes. I n i nterpreting this c hart, c aution must b e e xercised owing to the l ack o f a t ight c hronological f ramework. O nly o ne radiocarbon date i s available, A .D. 1 190 + /6 0 f or t he Nebaj tomb VIII 3 07

M arie C harlotte Arnauld

R io P esk in

A l ta rd e S ac r i t ic ios

CH IAPAS P ETEN MEX ICO + ++++++++++++ G UATEMALA •

S o l inas d e l o s N uevos C e rros

A LTA V ERAPAZ •Chama /

." .9 4 1 1 1 r.

4e -s .

•Zacu leu

R io

L os E ncuen t ros

e i o

Q U ICH E

c h i x o y

L a L agun i ta

•

v

. , BAJA VERAPAZ \ .

•

. / •

R ab ina l•

• S a lama

Z acua lpai*

\

i

• T o ton icopan

P olochi c

S IERRA DE CHUACUS

\ S an A gus t in

R

i o

N totoguo

A casaguos t lan

L ake A t it Ion

•

L ate C lass ic p hase, p rov is iona l C uchumatanes C huacus

d e

I n f lux

o f

c era m ic

c eram ic

T epeu

b oundar ies

K am ina l juyu

o f

o

s phere

s phere

1 -2

h or izon.

S ou thern A lta V eroPaz .

l x i l Z one .

F ig.

1 .

Map of

the

northern

highlands.

3 08

i o

s o k m

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz

R EFERENCE

S ITE O R Z ONE

C ONTEXT

ANALYSIS

B utler ( 1939)

C archa

S tratif. d eposits,

N one, d escriptive

A rchives U niv . M useum , P hil.

s outh . A VP

c onstruction f ills

B utler 1 940

C hama,

S tratified b urials

M iddle

a nd c aches

n otes

W ares ( analysis o f w hole v essels

C hixoy

S mith a nd

N ebaj

K idder 1 951

S mith 1 952

I xil z one

C hipoc

S tratif. b urials a nd c aches

w hole v essels

L arge r efuse d ump

s outh . A VP

B ecquelin

N ebaj-Acul

1 969

I xil z one

D escription o f

P reliminary t ypology

S tratif. d eposits,

T ype-variety

b urials, c ons truction f ills

, A dams 1 972, n .d.

A rnauld 1 980 i n p ress

C otzal d ist .

S tratif. d eposits,

I xil z one

b urials, r eview

C hajcar, A VP

o f p rivate c oils.

C oban-Tactic s outh. A VP

S tratif. d eposits, r efuse d umps,

T ype-variety

T ype-varietym ode

c onstr . f ills, b urials, c aches

F ig. 2 . t he Ixil

Main z one.

research on

ceramics

3 09

f rom Alta Verapaz

and

M arie C harlotte A rnauld A LTA

A VP

M AMA P ERIODS

T IME

C HIPAL ( Butler 1 940),

LATE

V ERAPAZ

( Smith 1 952)

I XIL

Z ONE

C OBAN-

N EBAJ

N EBAJ-

T ACTIC

G r.

ACUL

( Arnauld 1 980a)

( S.

A K .

1 951)b

C OTZAL

( Becq. 1 969)

( Adams 1 972) c

UMUL

C HAJUL

1 540 C HIPAL 3

P OSTCLASSIC

C HICAN

1 250 C HIPAL 2

E ARLY P OSTCLASSIC 1 000

C HAMA

5

C HIPAL

l b

C HIPAL

l a

G HANA

4

C HAMA

3

C HAMA

2

LATE C LASSIC

7 00

LATE S AMAC

S AMAC

N EBAJ A 3

C OBAN 2

N EBAJ A 2

T ZIQUIN

C OTZAL

S EACAL E ARLY

C HIPOC

B ATZ

C OTZAL

5 50 E ARLY C LASSIC

3 00

--- -- -

N EBAJ A l

T U BAN l ate f acet T UBAN

G HANA l A

P ROTOCLASSIC

G HANA 1 B

C OBAN 1

C ARCHA A .D.0

e arly f acet

1 1 00

F ig. 3 . Chronology o f s outhern A lta Verapaz and t he Ixil z one. N otes: a ) F or C hama 1 A-1B, s ee B orhegyi 1 965:57, T able 1 ; f or Chipal l a-lb, s ee B ecquelin 1 969:86, T able 1 . b ) F or Nebaj A l-A2-A3, s ee B ecquelin 1 969: Table 2 ). c ) S ee a lso Adams 1 967: F ig. 2 .

which c ontains P lumbate ( Nebaj s equence, Becquelin 1 969:61). Otherwise, one Chama 3 vessel f ound in a b urial a t A ltar de S acrificios h as b een dated A .D. 7 52 ( Webb 1 973:400). Furthermore, t he material does not i llustrate a ll t ime p eriods equally. T he E arly C lassic c omplexes are d efined on t he b asis o f s mall q uantities o f ceramics. T his i s due e ither to a very s parse occupation i n the n orthern h ighlands d uring this p eriod, or to a difficulty i n s orting E arly C lassic markers o ut o f t he Late C lassic c eramics, r esulting i n a n a pparent w eakness o f E arly C lassic complexes. F or the L ate C lassic period, most c ollections are a bundant a nd p roceed f rom well-controlled and f unctionally d iverse c ontexts. T hey c an be expected t o r epresent t he whole o f t he c eramics i n use at t hat t ime. Howe ver, t here i s a n overemphasis o n f unerary p ottery i n material f rom C hama a nd Nebaj. The E arly

3 10

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz P ostclassic i s a t ransitional phase d ifficult to define b ecause l ittle material h as been obtained f rom well s tratified deposits. While t he ceramics a ssigned to the L ate Postclassic a re more abundant a nd their temporal p lacement i s l ess controversial, f ew s ites o f this period h ave been excavated. I t may be u seful to specify the meaning o f some terms u sed in this r eview. The " region" i s a l oosely-defined g eographical u nit which encompasses s everal " zones." A z one normally i ncludes s ites with s imilar cultural c ontent. I nside a g iven z one, s everal " districts" can be d efined on b asis o f l ocal variations i n cultural a chievements, e .g., t he Coban and the Tactic districts in the s outhern AVP z one. The " Middle Chixoy valley" r efers t o that portion o f t he valley o riented north-south, r oughly f rom L os Encuentros to Salinas de l os Nueve C erros. Upstream o f Los Encuentros, the " Rio Negro-Chixoy valley" refers to the s ection oriented e ast-west. The t erm " reference-unit" ( type-unit, group-unit) i s u sed in i nterregional c omparisons t o d esignate e ither the bestk nown o r t he most representative c eramic type or group in a g iven s et o f compared units f rom d ifferent r egions, z ones, a nd s ites. Exhaustive l ists o f compared units are omitted. F inally, the c eramic s phere c oncept i s applied t o s everal f unctional s ubcomplexes o f t he Late C lassic p eriod. The p roposed spheres are p rovisional because t heir t ypological c ontent a nd s patial boundaries a re o utlined rather than demonstrated. The s phere concept i s u sed e ssentially a s an operational tool to o rder d ispersed i nterregional c onnections and provide g uidelines for f uture r esearch. As s tated by D emarest and Sharer ( in p ress:18), . d etermining the cultural s ignificance o f t hese s hared c eramic i deas i s, needless to say, a more d ifficult problem." Only s ome preliminary insights about t he possible c ultural processes related to the f ormation o f the p roposed s pheres a re o ffered. TERMINAL PRECLASSIC

( PROTOCLASSIC)

COMPLEXES

While a s mall Early Preclassic c omponent has been l ocated at S ulin i n northern BVP ( Arnauld 1 980, i n press), t he earliest c omplexes f ormally defined f or southern AVP and the I xil z one a re a ssigned to Terminal Preclassic P rotoclassic t imes. Rands and Smith ( 1965:117) noted that only s ome t raits characteristic o f the Protoclassic h orizon were p resent among Late P reclassic f eatures in the northern h ighlands. This applies quite well to t he Carcha c omplex ( Fig. 3 ), which includes s ome dull s lipped orange s herds and a f ew mammiform s upports i n what appears otherwise t o b e a L ate P reclassic a ssemblage. Three basically Preclassic traditions a re r epresented: orange monochrome, b lack monochrome, and r ed-on-buff. The orange and b lack monochromes experience ‚ a : change f rom l ustrous to dull s urface during the Terminal P reclassic. 3 11

M arie C harlotte A rnauld Typological components announcing E arly C lassic d evelopments a re easier to t race i n t he ceramics f rom Chama and t he I xil z one. I n a ddition, Protoclassic markers appear to b e more f requent and t here are a f ew trade wares i mported f rom t he l owlands. The b lack-brown and dark to l ight r ed monochromes a re more popular than the b lack types. B ichrome painting on basal f lange bowls o ccurs a nd polychromes i nclude a f ew representatives o f the I xcanrio a nd Actuncan Orange Polychrome groups ( lowlands). The Carcha s ample l acks t hose types a nd modes. I n this c omplex two l ong-enduring C lassic t raditions make t heir appearance w ith l ow f requency: redon-buff j ars ( Mostaza Red-on-buff), a nd c omales a nd basins with a smoothed c ream i nterior s urface ( Chatillas Smoothed). Mostaza c learly evolves o ut o f t he P reclassic r ed-on-buff t radition. A lthough s ome T zicuay vessels a nd material i n private collections s aid to c ome f rom t he northern I xil z one i nclude imports and s how i nfluences f rom the P eten l owlands, t he majority o f the Terminal P reclassic c eramics under r eview a re d efinitely highland oriented. Typological a ffinities o f the b lack and r ed-on-buff types l ink AVP, BVP, L a L agunita, Kaminaljuyu, a nd Chalchuapa. The reference units a re the P inos g roup of C halchuapa and S alama ( Sharer 1 978:36, 3 8; S harer and S edat, i n p ress) and the Corinthian Daub ware o f Los Encuentros ( Ichon and Hatch 1 982:99). On the whole, the s outhern AVP and I xil z one complexes appear l ess d iversified and l ess innovative t han t he contemporary complexes o f L a Lagunita and o f the s outhern h ighlands. S o f ar, they l ack U sulutan and Utatlan d ecorations. C archa i llustrates the s low d isappearance o f impoverished P reclassic t raditions. A l ittle more c reativity c an be f ound i n t he I xil z one, owing at l east partially to l owland i nfluences and imports. EARLY CLASSIC COMPLEXES For s outhern AVP, the definition o f the Coban e arly f acet, or C oban 1 , i s t entative and i ncomplete b ecause i t i s based on a small number o f s herd l ots graphically s eriated b etween Carcha and Coban 2 l ots. As f or t he I xil z one, l ate f acet T uban i s not easily distinguished f rom the early f acet on the basis o f Adams' ( n.d.) unpublished description. Furthermore, utilitarian p ottery i s better known in s outhern AVP than s ervice-funerary pottery, while the opposite applies to the Chama and I xil z ones. I n c ontrast with Carcha, Coban 1 p ottery h as a d istinctive s oft, f riable p aste, with an easily erodable s urface a nd thinner walls ( see t he s ame contrast i n the S alama valley material; Sharer and S edat, t his volume). New s hapes i nclude comales and l arge f laring-wall and 3 12

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz vertical-wall b owls with small handles. Post-slip i ncising tends t o replace pre-slip g rooving. Mostaza Redon-buff and C hatillas Smoothed, which appeared i n Carcha t imes, make up the bulk o f Coban 1 . Mostaza j ars are c haracterized by a l ow to-medium neck with thickened r im, overall or banded r ed s lip, dull or s ometimes polished, and applied f inger-impressed a dornos ( "ahau" motif). C omales and l arge bowls have a c ream matte i nterior s urface. I n b oth types, variations in shape profiles have a d egree o f t emporal s ignificance and p rovide useful markers, a s Mostaza and Chatillas remain dominant types o f t he utilitarian s ubcomplexes v irtually until the end o f t he Early P ostclassic phase. There i s s trong ceramic continuity f rom Early to Late C lassic t imes. I n the s ervice s ubcomplex, Chichicaste B lack-brown carries over f rom C oban 1 to Coban 2 , as a good combination o f widely distributed h ighland C lassic modes: polished b lack-brown monochrome, t ripod or r ingb ased bowl with b asal molding, c omplex post-slip incision, a nd other d ecorations by surface modification. But redband painting on the r im i s a mode l imited to Coban 1 . This i s t he only example o f b ichrome i n t he Coban I s ample, which otherwise l acks t he basal f lange profile and d isplays very f ew c ream and orange s lipped examples. Again the C hama and I xil z one c eramics appear to be s omewhat more d iversified than those f rom AVP, a lthough this may be due to c ontextual f actors, because the Coban 1 s ample p roceeds f rom non-funerary contexts in a f ew s ites l ocated i n the Tactic d istrict only. The Coban d istrict h as reportedly y ielded s ome " Tzakol pottery," mainly from the Chichen s ite ( A.L. Smith 1 955). The d iversity in the Chama and I xil z one material i s r eflected i n s urface f inish o f the b lack-brown types, e .g., Nebaj F ine B lack, which must be m entioned f or i ts medium-glossy f inish and unique s hapes, s uch a s hemispherical bowls a nd t ripod c ylinders. Basal-flanged t richrome and b ichrome resistp ainted bowls a re known f rom Nebaj and in t he T uban l ate f acet complex. However, a ll z ones across the middle Chixoy v alley s hare the popular b lack-brown r ing based bowl with basal r idge and associated decoration by s urface modification. Except f or the well-distributed duck-pot shape, the utilitarian s ubcomplexes s how l ess s pecific a ffinities. Chronology Two f eatures o f the Coban 1 c omplex s hould be mentioned because they may help d ifferentiate t he Early C lassic f rom t he L ate C lassic, a nd thus mitigate the o therwise impressive continuity which r elates both phases. On o ne hand, a lthough t he s ample i s r epresentative, C oban 1 l acks the r emarkable d iversity i n d ecoration a nd s hape c ombinations s o c haracteristic o f 3 13

M arie C harlotte A rnauld Late C lassic Coban 2 ( see below). On t he other hand, Coban I c an a lso b e defined by i ts exclusive c omponent, Chipilin Red. This type has a s omewhat l ustrous f inish and d isplays a range of s hapes and d ecorations t ransitional f rom Terminal P reclassic to E arly-Late C lassic t imes: e .g., t hick, f lared wall open bowls ( 70%) and t hin, r ounded or f lared wall bowls ( 30%), some o f the l atter with b asal r idge, r ing base, or t ripod s upports; and pre-slip s imple g rooving, horizontal f luting, a nd posts lip i ncision. At l east part o f the t ype may have a specular hematite s lip. Although t his needs f urther r esearch, Chipilin might pertain to a Terminal Preclassic Early C lassic horizon o f r ed types, s ome of them h ematiter ed s lipped and others painted r ed-on-orange. This horizon appears to extend f rom t he P acific coast to the middle Motagua valley, a nd f rom Kaminaljuyu t o t he Cuchumatanes.[3] The a ffinities l inking the r ed types f rom t hose regions a re e ssentially modal. Whether this horizon derives f rom the Preclassic l ustrous o range and r ed monochrome tradition o r f rom t he Protoclassic dull orange monochromes i s unclear, b ut i t may actually have evolved f rom both. I nterregional

Connections

B esides t his c onnection, Coban 1 p resents s trong a ffinities with utilitarian s ubcomplexes of BVP a nd the middle Motagua valley: the reference units are t he Chixoy Coarse ware, compared to Chatillas Smoothed, a nd the Corinthian D aub ware, compared t o Mostaza Red-on-buff ( Ichon and H atch 1 982:99, 1 38), a s well a s the d uck-pots o f Z acualpa. Chichicaste B lack-brown c an b e e asily c ompared with a number o f b lack-brown types distributed i n t he h ighlands, and t he s ame c an b e s aid of t he spiked c enser bowls o f B arbasco Censer ( "ceiba effigy," Coban 1 ). The I xil z one s hares with Z aculeu t ripod c ylinders, basal f lange polychrome bowls, t all-footed tripod p itchers with K aminaljuyu and L a Lagunita, a s well a s c enser shapes, s hoe-shaped vessels, and r esist-painted p ottery. Butler ( 1940:254, 2 56), Smith a nd K idder ( 1951:64) and Adams ( n.d.) have s uggested t hat the basal f lange polychrome bowls f rom t he I xil z one, with their f ish and parrot designs, originated in the U sumacinta r egion, o r s omewhere b etween t he U sumacinta and n orthern Quiche. Such a l ink with t he l owlands remains to be documented f or s outhern AVP.

LATE CLASSIC COMPLEXES A lthough t hey primarily e laborate ( traits i nherited f rom t he E arly C lassic phase) r ather than innovate, the Late C lassic complexes display s igns of v igorous c reativity a nd imagination. The typological inventory f or Chama, s outhern AVP--Chipoc included--and t he Ixil z one i s 3 14

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz a ll the more intricate a s analysts have tended to multiply typological divisions. The present review concentrates on those trends most r elevant to s patial a nd t emporal variation a s well a s to i nterregional connections. Spatial

Variation

i n Utilitarian

Subcomplexes

General s imilarities i n basic s hapes and s urface t reatment l ink t he Batz, Early Cotzal, and Coban 2 utilitarian s ubcomplexes, but a c lear spatial variation in morphological modes may be more s ignificant. Jar a ttributes even v ary i nside the s outhern AVP z one. I n the Coban district, the s tandard j ar f eatures a h igh neck, s mall handles--when present--attached at m idbody, and a pplied i ncised adornos; i t i s s lipped i n dark r ed or white, o r i s u nslipped and rather porous ( Chipoc: " red u rns," " hard-ware l ight ochraceous or s almon j ars," Smith 1 952:224; Coban 2 : Coaba Smudged Red, China White, Cebada P orous). I n t he Tactic d istrict, a l ower n eck, l arger h andles, i mpressed adornos ( "ahau" motif), and a r ed s lip a re prevalent t raits ( Coban 2 : Mostaza Red-on-buff, C idra R ed-on-buff). T he s trongest diversity of types and modes h as been found in the Tactic valley, which forms the d ividing l ine b etween both d istricts. Although c eramic data p er s e c an hardly i ndicate the e xistence o f s ocio-political d ivisions, i n the p resent c ase t hey appear t o c onfirm the existence o f s everal d istinct entities i n southern AVP and n orthern BVP, i ndependently s uggested by e cological a nd s ettlement p attern analyses ( Arnaud 1 980, in p ress). L inguistic and e thnohistoric d ata a lso p rovide a relatively r eliable s patial d istribution o f the Pokom and Kekchi ethnicities, a t l east during the Early Postclassic period, which tends t o support the T actic-Coban d ivision. M ain

Trends

i n S ervice-funerary Subcomplexes

Late C lassic s ervice-funerary pottery AVP ( Chipoc i ncluded) and the I xil c haracterized by a f ew major trends.

f rom s outhern z one can be

1 .) The dominance o f b lack-brown and r ed-brown m onochrome t ypes p ersists f rom E arly C lassic t imes, but t he development o f c ream, gray, a nd orange s lips appears v igorous, especially in the Coban district ( Chipoc). 2 .) Shapes i nherited f rom the Early C lassic r emain p opular, with t ripod s upports s uperseding r ing bases. F langes are a gain l ess f requent i n AVP t han i n t he I xil z one, where B atz and Early Cotzal display more varied bowl p rofiles. 3 .) c ylinder

One d eterminant i nnovation i s and s imilar shapes ( i.e., " barrel 3 15

t he f lat shape").

base Gray,

M arie C harlotte A rnauld c ream, and b lack-brown monochrome cylinders b earing d iverse d ecorations by s urface modification offer s ome o f t he most s pecific t ypological s imilarities between both z ones, a lthough i ncision on c ylinders i s more e laborate i n s outhern AVP. C ylindrical s hapes a re generally a ssociated w ith t he most complex decorative modes, except n egative p ainting. 4 .) The d ecoration t echniques a re i nherited f rom E arly C lassic t imes--at l east i n t he I xil z one--but their n umerous c ombinations, t he d iversity o f motifs, a nd t he q uality o f execution s trongly c ontribute to r enew t he s ubcomplexes. S implea nd c omplex-design incision i s c ombined with g rooving, g adrooning, excision, a nd a pplication. Those t echniques i n t urn a re a ssociated with p ositive b ichrome p ainting. 5 .) N egative p ainting ( resist a nd reserve) s tands b y i tself, o r s ometimes c ombines with p ositive polychrome p ainting ( mainly i n Chama 3 ). R esist-painted basal r idge o r b asal f lange bowls are p opular i n t he Batz, Early C otzal, a nd C hipoc c omplexes. Actually, t hose c omplexes c an b e c haracterized by n egative p ainting b etter t han b y p ositive polychrome decoration. S patial Variation ( Southern AVP)

i n

S ervice-funerary

Subcomplexes

I n s outhern AVP, i t s eems that t here was a t endency f or C lassic h ighland t raditions to m erge with Late C lassic l owland-derived i nfluences. But a pparently this p rocess r eached d ifferent d egrees o f a chievement a nd i ntensity f rom p lace t o p lace. I n the T actic d istrict, p ost-slip i ncised c ream a nd o range monochrome t ypes a nd one p ositive p olychrome t ype, Nopal T richrome ( Coban 2 ), c an be s aid to s how l owland i nfluences: t he f ormer a re r elated to O jo de Agua I ncised, t he l atter t o the P almar and S axche P olychrome g roups o f t he Tepeu 1 -2 h orizon. The r est o f t he l ocal C oban 2 s ubcomplex r emains i n l ine with E arly C lassic h ighland t raditions, a lthough i t v irtually l acks n egative p ainting. C ylindrical s hapes, c onsidered t o be a h allmark o f L ate C lassic l owland c eramics, a re scarce i n the monochrome t ypes a nd even i n Nopal Trichrome t hey do n ot r each 3 0% o f r im s herds. Nopal cylinders f eature s imple d esigns c ombined w ith g rooving o r f luting and a pplication. I n c ontrast, t he C oban d istrict s ervice p ottery p resents more p ervading i nfluences f rom C hama a nd the l owlands. While t he p opular r esist-painted basal r idge ( or f lange) t ripod bowls may d erive f rom an E arly C lassic n orthern h ighland t radition, i ncised a nd c arved-incised monochrome c ylinders, a s well a s i ncised a nd p ainted c ylinders r epresent c omplex c ombinations o f h ighland a nd l owland modes. The most i llustrative t ype i s Cream-and3 16

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz b lack-on-Mikado B rown I ncised Type A o f Chipoc ( Smith 1 952: Fig. 1 4; C oban 2 : N itro White I ncised and Nispero Trichrome I ncised; Cream-on-Mikado Brown I ncised occurs in the Tepeu 2 complex at Uaxactun, R .E. Smith 1 955:34). Anthropomorphic a nd z oomorphic f igures are incised, and colored by means of a r eserve t echnique. S imilar complex decoration c an b e s een on bowls w ith b asal or medial angle, a s hape a lso present in Chama 3 . The variation p attern f rom Coban to Tactic a nd s outhward apparently has no s ignificance at t he f unctional l evel, a ll p rovenience contexts being relatively u nspecific. I t does not s eem to have any temporal s ignificance e ither, s ince Nopal Trichrome ( Tactic d istrict), Cream-on-Mikado Brown ( Coban d istrict) and s everal types r elated t o O jo de Agua I ncised ( both d istricts) t ie Coban 2 and Chipoc to the T epeu 1 -2 h orizon. A lthough s ome carved-incised complex decoration p resent i n the C hipoc complex might be c loser to Chama 4 T epeu 3 than to Chama 3 -Tepeu 2 , any s ignificant temporal variation i s difficult to a ssess. So f ar, the variation p attern appears to be primarily spatial. I t i s related to a p rocess of d iversified l owland i nfluences diffusing into s outhern AVP and n orthern BVP ( for partially s imilar s tatements, s ee Rands and Smith 1 965:133, and Becquelin 1 969:93). I nterregional

Connections

The i nterregional connections o f Coban 2 and Chipoc c eramics l ink s outhern AVP with three regions, the Peten l owlands, the I xil z one, and the S ierra de Chuacus. The l owland-Ixil z one-AVP r elationship bears mainly on the s ervice-funerary subcomplexes, while the Chuacus-AVP r elationship i nvolves mainly the utilitarian subcomplexes. Some comparisons • that do not conform this f ramework s hould be mentioned. They include a general s imilarity b etween the main utilitarian types of the I xil z one and s outhern AVP ( see above), a s well a s typological a ffinities l inking b lack-brown monochromes and r ed-onc ream and r ed-on-orange b ichromes o f southern AVP and the C huacus region ( Rio Negro-Chixoy valley, middle Motagua v alley). However, those types are f ar f rom covering the d iversity of the Chipoc-Coban 2 f ine ceramics. Affinities with the P eten l owlands s et the I xil z one a nd AVP s ervice-funerary s ubcomplexes well a part f rom o ther h ighland s ubcomplexes. Batz, Early Cotzal, Coban 2 , a nd Chipoc s hare s ome markers o f the Tepeu 1 -2 horizon: S axche and P almar Polychrome groups ( for the I xil z one, s ee Becquelin 1 969:119; and Adams n .d.), basal-ridged t ripod bowls, tripod polychrome bowls, f lat-bottomed c ylinders, a nd O jo de Agua I ncised decorative modes ( see W illey et a l. 1 967: Table 1 ). Logically, this l ist could 3 17

M arie C harlotte A rnauld a llow B atz, E arly C otzal, C oban 2 , a nd Chipoc t o b e i ncluded i n the T epeu 1 -2 h orizon, s ince t he o riginal h orizon c oncept " . . . n eed i mply no more t han a f ew c onnections a t t he modal l evel. . . " ( Willey et a l. 1 967:306). Chama 3 s hould a lso be i ncluded. However, t he l ist l acks one e ssential c omponent o f the Ixil z one a nd AVP s ubcomplexes, i .e., n egative painting. H ow t he v arious modes o f t his g eneral d ecoration ( pre- o r postf iring, r eserve, r esist, b ichrome, t richrome) c ombine a nd a re s patially d istributed i n the P eten l owlands s hould b e a ssessed b efore any northern h ighland c omplex c an b e i ncluded i nto T epeu horizons. I n c ontrast, s trong t ypological c onnections e xist b etween t he s outhern AVP a nd I xil z one s ervice-funerary s ubcomplexes, a lthough c omparisons s hould a ctually b e made a t a g roup l evel. Those c onnections r easonably c over t he t ypological d iversity o f a ll f our s ubcomplexes ( see a bove). They s hould a llow t he d efinition of a c eramic s phere f unctionally r estricted t o s ervice-funerary p ottery. S patially the sphere would e xtend o ver t he C uchumatanes-Alta V erapaz r ange ( Fig. 1 ). I t i s thus provisionally n amed the Cuchumatanes c eramic s phere. Because o f i ts c lear a ffinities i n s ervice pottery with t he I xil z one, Z aculeu m ight be i ncluded i n the s phere's western f ringes. The i nclusion o f t he Chama s ite i s more c ontroversial due t o i ts s pecific p olychrome c omponents ( positive a nd n egative p ainting), which a re s carcely r epresented i n t he C ucumatanes-Alta Verapaz h ighlands. The f ormation o f t his ceramic s phere i n C lassic t imes may have i nvolved two d ifferent processes. One r elates t o the emergence o f t he n egative-painting h orizon which e xtends f rom Z aculeu t o C oban. Even i f i t e ncompasses s everal t echniques and s tyles r epresented i n t he n orthern h ighlands, n egative p ainting i s an i mportant marker o f the C uchumatanes s phere a nd i ts d evelopment s hould b e a nalyzed. The o ther p rocess i nvolves t he Tepeu 1 -2 h orizon. I t i s s uggested t hat the d iffusion o f c eramic i deas f rom t he P eten l owlands s timulated t he f ormation o f t he Cuchumatanes s phere. I n s um, a r igorous d efinition o f this c eramic s phere a nd o f the e xchange p rocess i nvolved i n i ts f ormation a nd p ersistence w ould c ontribute to a b etter k nowledge o f t he h ighland-lowland c eramic r elationships d uring t he C lassic p eriod. Given t he c omplex r epresentations s hown on AVP a nd Ixil z one v essels, t he question h as s ome i conographic i nterest a lso. A s econd c eramic s phere c an be d efined on the b asis o f c ompared u tilitarian s ubcomplexes o f s outhern AVP and o f the S ierra d e C huacus. Chipoc j ars a nd l arge b owls h ave b een r elated t o those o f Z acualpa ( Smith 1 952:233). This c omparison a lso a pplies to t he Coban 2 material, which p resents s trong t ypological l inks n ot only with Z acualpa b ut a lso w ith t he R io N egro-Chixoy v alley a nd the m iddle M otagua v alley ( Pokom, " Chixoy," a nd Magadalena 3 18

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz complexes; Wauchope 1 948; I chon, this volume; Smith and Kidder 1 943). R ed j ars with applied impressed adornos ( "ahau" motif) s haring s imilar profiles, a s well a s " creamsmoothed" comales a nd l arge bowls or basins, define the main typological components o f a ll complexes involved i n the proposed s phere. Duck-pots are distributed over BVP ( and Quiche) but s eem to be absent i n t he middle Motagua valley. The c eramic sphere i s g iven the provisional name o f Chuacus s ince i t extends to both f lanks o f t he S ierra d e Chuacus i n s outhern AVP, i n BVP,[4] a nd a long the middle Motagua valley ( Fig. 1 ). Although a f ew c omparisons bearing o n s ervice types from these r egions have been mentioned ( see a bove), t he Chuacus s phere e ncompasses primarily t he utilitarian s ubcomplexes. This f act suggests that e conomic exchanges and possibly e thnic r elationships may have been i nvolved in the process o f the Chuacus s phere f ormation during t he C lassic periods. L inguistic a nd e thnohistoric data point to the p resence of P okom-speakers a t l east i n Baja Verapaz a nd southern AVP d uring C lassic t imes ( Arnauld, in press). However, the p ostulate that r elates domestic pottery to an e thnic a ffiliation i s open to question. I n the present c ase, its v alidity should be a ssessed only a fter the entire a rchaeological c ontext o f the Chuacus sphere regions have b een analyzed. To s ummarize, the most important i nterregional r elations o f t he Coban 2 and Chipoc complexes l ink s outhern AVP w ith the Peten l owlands and the h ighlands a s w ell. As f ar a s f ine s ervice-funerary pottery i s c oncerned, C oban 2 and Chipoc are c lose to the I xil z one a nd Peten c eramics. Their coarser domestic p ottery r elates them t o t he h ighlands, s pecifically w ith t he e astern part o f t he northern h ighlands.

EPICLASSIC AND EARLY POSTCLASSIC COMPLEXES F unerary Ceramics Chama 4 , Chipal 1 , S eacal, a nd Batz-Tziquin T ransition a re complexes d efined to i solate s everal new t raits that m ake t heir appearance at the end o f the Late C lassic period, or " Epiclassic," i n AVP and in t he I xil z one ( Fig. 3 ). Reference can a lso be made to the brown m olded-carved cylinders f rom the Chajcar s ite ( southern AVP, Coban d istrict), and to the Epiclassic complex o f Los E ncuentros ( Rands and Smith 1 965: F ig. 1 7e; I chon and H atch 1 982). Tohil P lumbate, F ine Orange o f the A ltar and S ilho g roups, and r ed-brown monochrome wares ( Butler 1 940:260) a re among t he s hared c omponents o f t hese c omplexes, F ine Orange b eing s carcely r epresented in the I xil z one. New s hapes i nclude r ing-stand cylinders, p iriform j ars, and rounded-tripod bowls. As noted l ong ago by Butler ( 1940:261), Late C lassic polychrome painting 3 19

M arie C harlotte A rnauld t ends to be r eplaced by i ncision, c arving, modeling, p lanor elief. S everal Chama 4 and C hajcar cylinders o ffer r emarkable examples of complex-figure decoration e xecuted by t hese techniques, which are not exclusive o f t he Fine Orange groups. However, positive and negative p ainting p ersist, the f ormer a ssociated w ith h igh-neck g lobular j ars and piriform j ars, the l atter w ith e ffigy-head tripod b owls ( Chama 4 , actually a rare a ssociation). Except f or the Batz-Tziquin transition, these c omplexes contain f unerary vessels only. The rest of the c eramics in u se during the s ame p eriod were poorly known u ntil more recent r esearch was done i n the Ixil z one, i n s outhern AVP, and northern BVP ( Becquelin 1 969; Adams 1 972; Arnauld 1 980; I chon and H atch 1 982). I t was s uspected that the known complexes were i ndeed f unerary s ubcomplexes, i ntrusive i nto contemporary service and u tilitarian assemblages b asically s imilar to t he Late C lassic complexes. Most r ecent d ata, e specially those f rom Los Encuentros ( Ichon, this volume), h ave c onfirmed t his assumption. The Samac Complex o f

S outhern A lta Verapaz

S amac i s a small complex derived from the s eriation o f s ome s herd-lots recovered i n t en s ites in southern AVP a nd the extreme northern BVP. They contain an assemblage o f Coban 2 and carryover types, p lus t hree n ew types that w ill d efine t he Late Postclassic Chican complex, a nd a lso s everal S amac exclusive c omponents. The S amac components i nclude s ome o f the Epiclassic markers, most o f them f ound i n f unerary contexts at S ulin: geometric c arved-incised d ecoration on e ffigyhead tripod bowls ( Jamaica B ichrome I ncised), one i ncised polychrome p in f orm j ar, r ed-slipped e ffigy-head t ripod bowls, and a f ew f ine paste sherds. Samac a lso f eatures t hree new domestic t ypes d istinct f rom the Coban 2 and Chican types: Matapalo Porous, Jabilla Coarse, and L inaza Coarse. They introduce new paste texture and composition, a s well a s new comal s hapes ( short r im) and n ew j ar p rofiles ( high unmodified necks). A f ourth t ype, Membrillo F ine, i s c haracterized by a medium-fine h ard p aste. Those f our types are unslipped and c rudely surfacef inished. The S amac t ypological i nventory i s completed w ith two decorated t ypes, L aurel R ed-on-Black and L ima B rown I ncised, which both d erive f rom b lack-brown and c ream types o f t he Late C lassic, b ut they appear t o be poorly executed. I n brief, the S amac complex suggests t hat t hree tendencies were at work, a ) i nnovation i n the f unerary s ubcomplex, b ) technological and morphological c hange i n t he utilitarian s ubcomplex, and c ) continuity but mediocrity i n the f ine s ervice subcomplex. Given the l imited s ample available f or each S amac exclusive t ype, t hese t endencies should be considered h ypothetical. 3 20

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz They appear, however, to b e c onsistent w itn L ne trends s hown by the C oban-like and Chican-like c eramics s tratigraphically a ssociated with t he S amac types. None of the S ulin burial contexts contain Coban vessels. Typological and modal diversity o f Coban 2 s ervice pottery i s g reatly reduced i n S amac l evels. The Chican types a re characterized by a h ard compact paste, and a lso by those new j ar a nd comal profiles present i n the Samac exclusive components. I n s um, s ome consistent p icture emerges o f an apparently g radual transition f rom Late C lassic to L ate Postclassic c eramics, marked by t he i ntrusion o f n ew f unerary p ottery, the i ntroduction o f changes in domestic p ottery, a nd a c lear c ontinuity with Coban 2 ceramics. The S amac a nd Chican domestic types do n ot r eplace Mostaza Red-on-buff and Chatillas Smoothed ( Coban 1 -2), which p ersist b ut in l ower f requencies. Chronology The c ontemporaneity o f t hese trends i s difficult to a ssess f or AVP and the I xil z one. I n their s equences, Butler a nd Smith p lace t he f unerary s ubcomplexes at the end of t he L ate C lassic, s uggesting that t hey may not p ersist until t he end o f the E arly Postclassic ( see T able 2 ). As a matter of f act, t he S amac f unerary components f ound a t the S ulin s ite are s tratigraphically associated w ith pure Coban 2 occupational l evels. But this i s only o ne of t he f ew c ases where context i s controlled. The e vidence available does n ot a llow c losure o f t he f unerary s ubcomplexes a round 1 000 AD; they may continue l ater on u ntil 1 100 ( Ichon, t his volume), or p erhaps until 1 250, t he terminal d ate t raditionally a ssigned to t he Early P ostclassic phase. The Nebaj Tomb VIII, which c ontains P lumbate v essels, has been radiocarbon dated A .D. 1 190 +/6 0. A workable hypothesis i s that, while t he f unerary s ubcomplexes b egin a t t he end o f the Late C lassic i n a ll r egions, they may have h ad d ifferent durations f rom z one t o zone. I nterregional

Connections

Much has b een s aid a bout the " Mexican" origin o f s everal Epiclassic traits ( for a c ritical r eview, s ee C armack 1 968:59). S ome anthropomorphic e ffigies applied on T ohil P lumbate j ars f rom AVP, Mixtec-type censers, and one Y alton B lack-on-orange vessel f rom T zicuay ( Ixil z one, Adams n .d.) a re probably o f Mexican origin, or may have t heir o rigins i n mexicanized regions. AVP r eceived n orthern influences by way o f t he U sumacinta-Chixoy v alley. F ine Orange v essels f ound a t K ixpek ( middle C hixoy valley) are i mports f rom P iedras Negras ( Smith 1 958). Most F ine Orange examples o f AVP come f rom the m iddle Chixoy valley and a re related to the F ine Orange t ypes o f t he U sumacinta-Pasion z one ( Rands a nd Smith 1 965:135; Adams 1 971:50). The molded-carved c ylinders 3 21

M arie C harlotte A rnauld f rom Chajcar a re c ompared w ith P abellon Molded-carved ( Altar F ine Orange group, a lthough t he Chajcar vessels a re not F ine Orange; Rands and Smith 1 965:131). Whatever s ignificance i t may have f or t he h istorical r econstruction o f t he n inth-to-eleventh c enturies on the f ringes o f the P eten l owlands, t his northern c onnection must n ot be overemphasized. The q uantitatively major c omponents o f the Early Postclassic complexes under review r emain i n l ine w ith the Guatemalan h ighland contemporary developments. Changes in paste texture a nd composition o f domestic p ottery, a s well as in j ar and comal shapes, have b een n oted i n Postclassic material f rom Z acualpa ( Tohil c omplex) and f rom Rabinal s ites. E ffigy-head tripod bowls and geometric i ncised decoration o f T ziquin, Late C otzal, and S amac c omplexes have equivalents in many areas of the h ighlands, the Z aculeu e xamples b eing t he best known ( Woodbury and Trik 1 953:155). O therwise, one Nicoya P olychrome vessel f ound in f unerary c ontext at t he Samac s ite n ear Coban i s probably an import f rom Central America ( Smith 1 952: F ig. 2 6, c aption).

LATE POSTCLASSIC COMPLEXES Main Trends

and Components

L ittle t ypological d iversity c haracterizes t he Late Postclassic material: s ix and e ight types respectively d efine the C hican a nd Chajul c omplexes; seven types a ccount f or 9 4% o f Umul ( Fig. 3 ). I n each complex, the modal i nventory i n shape, s urface t reatment, and d ecoration i s equally l imited. The d istinction b etween utilitarian and f ine s ervice pottery does not easily apply to this material. Very f ew f unerary v essels a re known and s ophisticated t rade wares are s carce. Development out o f E arly Postclassic c eramics c an be t raced e specially in textural changes f rom s oft and c oarse to r elatively c ompact h ard pastes, i n comal shapes with s hort r im, and a lso in j ar s hapes, b ecause the unmodified h igh-neck j ar b ecomes t he exclusive profile. The d ominant c omponents o f t he Chican complex are Malva P lain Grey, Mango P lain Red, a nd Manzana Striated, t hree types that had appeared in Samac t imes and now r each h igh f requency. A long w ith X im P lain, T uja Red-brown ( Chajul complex), Jolom B rown, and X olcom Brown-red ( Umul c omplex), t hese t ypes h ave a c ompact hard paste, an u nslipped r ed to r ed-brown or gray s urface, and f eature t he h igh-neck j ar s hape. Neck and body o f j ars frequently s how s triae or s cratches. Local d ifferences bear on the f requency o f c omales, more popular i n the I xil z one than i n AVP, and on the p eculiar small h andles or t enons a ttached a t m idpoint o n Chican j ars. The quality of 3 22

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz shaping

and

s urface

f inish a lso varies

s ignificantly.

The red-slipped types are quantitatively l ess important than these u nslipped types, except f or B ipana Red i n Umul. B ipana Red i s possibly part o f Tuja Redbrown ( Chajul), Mamey Red ( Chican), and Fortress White-onr ed ( all complexes), f or a ll s hare a hard gray paste, a c oarsely polished red s lip s howing f ine s triations, and the standard j ar s hape. I n t he I xil z one, horizontal f luting f requently decorates j ar r ims. A lthough present virtually everywhere, Fortress White-on-red does not reach any s ignificant f requency. There i s apparently a l ong tradition o f " white l ine o n r ed" pottery i n the middle Chixoy s ites, b ut i ts relationship with Late Postclassic Fortress i s u nclear ( Butler 1 940:161, 2 62). I n any c ase, some a ffinities b etween t he r ed-brown wares o f the E arly Postclassic and t he L ate Postclassic red-slipped types are possible, f or t hey s hare the e ffigy-head t ripod bowl, a lthough this f orm i s much l ess f requent i n L ate Postclassic t imes. A h andful o f micaceous s herds have been r ecovered in s outhern AVP. This ware i s abundantly r epresented i n L ate Postclassic s ites a round R abinal. Two minor types o f the I xil z one ( Umul complex) have mica i nclusions a nd may be related to t he micaceous ware. As f or C hinautla Polychrome, only a f ew s herds have been r ecovered f rom Acul s ites i n t he I xil z one ( Umul), and none in s outhern AVP. Unslipped l adle c ensers w ith g eometric decoration molded or i ncised on t he bowl part a re the best documented c enser c ategory f or t he period. S herds bearing textile or petate impression a lso s eem to provide a marker f or the L ate Postclassic. I nterre

i onal

C onnections

More excavations are needed in Late Postclassic s ites b ut it a lready appears that t he Late Postclassic complexes o f s outhern AVP and t he I xil z one are e ssentially l ocal. T he virtual a bsence o f Micaceous a nd Chinautla Polychrome p ottery s uggests t hat t he r elations with t he C huacus r egions h ad weakened s ince t he p recedent p eriod. At l east t he AVP r egion i s known to have been relatively i solated f rom the r est o f t he h ighlands in Proto-historic t imes, f ollowing t he Quiche-Cakchiquel expansion i nto BVP ( Arnauld 1 980, i n p ress). However, the r ed-slipped types s uch a s Mamey Red c an b e specifically compared with s everal red t ypes well d istributed f rom c entral Quiche to Chiapas. T he r eference units may be C innamon and X inabahul O range-red of Z aculeu ( Woodbury a nd Trik 1 953:174). F ortress White-on-red a lso p rovides a l ink with many h ighland regions.

3 23

M arie C harlotte A rnauld At the p resent t ime, Mamey Red j ars a re s till p roduced in the Chichen hamlet and s old on t he Tactic market. Large bowls a nd comales o f micaceous paste a re manufactured i n t he S alama valley a nd exported to AVP.

CONCLUDING REMARKS The C lassic-Postclassic c eramic s equence o f s outhern AVP i s b asically c haracterized by c ontinuity. S everal l ong-enduring traditions develop f rom Late Preclassic t o Early Postclassic t imes. Red-on-buff and r ed-slipped j ars, " cream-smoothed" c omales and basins, as well a s b lack to b lack-brown bowls are among those t raditions. I n t urn, c ream and orange s lips were f avored mainly during t he Late C lassic phase, a nd t he s ame c an b e said o f b ichromes, e ither p ositiveor negative-painted. Polychrome painting n ever equaled t he frequency a nd e laborateness o f the various decoration techniques b y s urface modification. The l atter a lso pertain to a l ong t radition in AVP. D iversification i s what really d ifferentiates Late C lassic f rom Early C lassic ceramics. The end o f t he T erminal P reclassic and a n u ndetermined moment d uring t he E arly Postclassic phase r epresent turning points i n the s equence. Accelerated c hange a nd a reorientation o f trends took p lace, but there was no real rupture. L ittle i s k nown about the c eramic p rocesses i nvolved i n t hese c hanges, mainly because the quantitative definition o f the c orresponding c eramic c omplexes i s l imited. S everal o f the n ew components, l ike Chipilin Red i n the Early C lassic complex a nd t he coarse domestic types i n the Early Postclassic c omplex, apparently do n ot h ave any d irect ancestor i n the p receding c omplexes. Generalizing f rom i nterregional comparisons, one can s ay that t he end o f P reclassic t imes l ocally marks the b eginning o f a l ong p eriod c haracterized by an i ntense p articipation i n h ighland and l owland c eramic d evelopments. The Early Postclassic phase c loses this p eriod and, t hough foreign f unerary ceramics were i ntroduced i nto AVP at the beginning o f this phase, most d eterminant Late C lassic c onnections weakened. They do n ot s eem to have been revived during the Late Postclassic p eriod.

Notes

[ 1.] As a project o f the Mission Archeologique et E thnologique F rancaise au M exique ( now Centre d'Etudes Mexicaines et Centramericaines, Mexico C ity), survey and excavations in 1 4 s ites w ere conducted i n s outhern A lta

3 24

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz Verapaz and in the extreme north of Baja Verapaz during twelve months in 1 974-1975 ( Arnauld 1 980). The monograph i s t o be published i n 1 986 ( Arnauld, in press). A total of 3 7,110 s herds and 3 0 whole vessels were recovered. The ceramic complexes were defined on the basis o f 1 9,212 c lassified s herds: 1 30 f or t he E arly P reclassic, 1 ,024 f or Carcha, 1 ,000 f or Coban 1 , 1 3,360 f or Coban 2 , 1 ,271 f or S amac, and 2 ,427 f or Chican. [ 2.] Duck-pots, " duck-pot censers," or " duck-bill ( Borhegyi 1 952) were probably u sed a s s upports f or j ars or comales s et in the f ire-pit, rather than a s or c overs.

covers" c ooking c ensers

[ 3.] Patulul-Perdido group, Laguneta, B ilbao ( Parsons 1 967:139-140; R ed with Reserved Orange, L ato, middle Motagua valley ( Smith and K idder 1 943:156-158); Arenal Red: P olished, Arenal-Aurora, Kaminaljuyu ( Wetherington 1 978:80, s ee Comments); Roqueno Red, Lililla, La Lagunita ( Ichon and Arnauld 1 985:133); X ic F ine Red, Early C lassic, A lto S amala ( Ciudad Ruiz 1 983:7); Champul Maroon-on-orange, Tuban, I xil z one ( Adams n .d.); red vessels f rom T zicuay ( Ixil z one) s tored i n the Museum o f Guatemala; Red-on-buff, Atzan, Z aculeu ( Woodbury a nd Trik 1 953:135). [ 4.] At the Conference, I chon and I t entatively s uggested t hat the Chuacus s phere c ould a lso extend on eastern Quiche and westward up t o Totonicapan. I now think t hat s uch an e xtension i s p remature and I retreat back t o my original definition of t his ceramic sphere ( Arnauld 1 980, i n press: F ig. 1 ).

References ADAMS, 1 967

R .E. W. The C eramic Chronology o f t he S outhern Maya S econd Preliminary Report. Ms. on f ile, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

1 971

The C eramics o f Altar de S acrificios, Papers of the P eabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

1 972

Maya H ighland Prehistory: Implications. Contributions o f C alifornia Archaeological no. 1 6:1-21. ( Berkeley: California).

n .d.

Ceramics f rom f rom C hajcar, o f author.

New Data and o f t he University R esearch Facility University o f

t he Cotzal d istrict, Quiche, and A lta Verapaz. M s. in possession

3 25

M arie Charlotte Arnauld ARNAULD, 1 980

M .C. " L'Habitat Prehispanique Occidentale ( Guatemala)," Universite de Paris I , Paris.

in press

en

Alta Ph. D.

Verapaz diss.,

Archeologie de l 'Habitat en Alta Verapaz ( Guatemala), Collection E tudes Mesoamericaines, S erie I vol. 1 0, ( Mexico City: Centre d 'Etudes Mexicaines et Centramericaines).

BECQUELIN, P . 1 969 Archeologie de l a region de Nebaj ( Guatemala), Memoires de l 'Institut d 'Ethnologie n o. 2 , ( Paris: Universite de Paris). BOREGHYI, 1 952 •

S .F. Notes and Comments on " Duck-Pots" from Guatemala, Middle American Research Records no. 2 :1-16.

1 965

( New Orleans:

Tulane University).

" Archaeological Synthesis of the Guatemalan Highlands," in Handbook o f Middle American I ndians, ed. R . Wauchope and G .R. Willey, vol. 2 , pp. 3 -58. ( Austin: University o f Texas Press).

BUTLER, 1 940

M . "A Pottery S equence from the A lta Verapaz, Guatemala," i n The Maya and Their Neighbors, eds. C .L. Hay, R .L. Linton, S . K. Lothrop, H . L. Shapiro and G .C. Vaillant. pp. 2 50-267 ( New York: Appleton Century Crofts).

CARMACK, 1 968

R . M. Toltec I nfluences on the Postclassic h istory o f H ighland Guatemala, Middle Research Institute, publication n o. ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

C IUDAD RUIZ, A . 1 983 " Desarrollo Cerämico en e l Alto Guatemala," paper prepared for the Ceramic Conference, Washington, D .C.

c ulture American 2 6:49-92

S amala, 1 985 Maya

DEMAREST, i n press

A . A., AND R .J. SHARER " Late Preclassic Ceramic Spheres, Culture Areas and Cultural Evolution i n the Southeastern H ighlands o f Mesoamerica," i n The Southern P eriphery o f Mesoamerica, Problems and P rospects, eds. E . M. Schortman and P . A. Urban ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

I CHON, 1 982

AND M .P. HATCH Archeologie de

A .,

Sauvetage

3 26

d ans

la valree du Rio

R egional C eramic D evelopment i n A lta V erapaz Chixoy. 4 Los Encuentros. Editorial S anta, ( Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie). I CHON, 1 985

A .,

PARSONS, 1 967

RANDS, 1 965

AND M .C. ARNAULD Le Protoclassique a La Lagunita, E l Quiche, Guatemala, Centre National de l a Recherche S cientifique, Editorial Piedra Santa, Guatemala, ( Paris: I nstitut d 'Ethnologie).

L . A. Bilbao, Guatemala: An Archaeological Study of the P acific Coast, Cotzalmalhuapa Region, vol. 1 , Milwaukee Public Museum Publications in Anthropology 1 1.

R .L., AND R .E. SMITH " Pottery of the Guatemalan H ighlands," in Handbook of Middle American Indians, eds. R . Wauchope and G . R. Willey, vol. 2 , pp. 9 5-145 ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

SABLOFF, 1 975

S HARER, 1 978

Piedra

J .E. Excavations at Peabody Museum vol. 1 3(2) University).

S eibal: Ceramics, Memoirs of the o f Archaeology a nd Ethnology, ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard

R .J. " Pottery and Conclusions," in The Prehistory of Chalchuapa, E l Salvador, ed. R .J. Sharer, vol. 3 ( Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press).

S HARER, R .J., AND D . W. SEDAT i n press Archaeological I nvestigations i n the Northern Maya Highlands, University Museum Monographs ( Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania). SMITH, 1 955

A .L. Archaeological Reconnaissance in Central Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication 6 08 ( Washington, D .C.).

SMITH, 1 943

A .L., AND A . V. K IDDER Explorations i n the Motaqua Valley, Guatemala, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication 5 46, Contribution 4 1 ( Washington, D .C.).

1 951

SMITH, 1 952

Excavations I nstitution ( Washington, R .E. Pottery Carnegie

at Nebaj, Guatemala, Carnegie of Washington Publication 5 94 D .C.).

f rom Chipoc I nstitution 3 27

Alta Verapaz, of Washington

Guatemala, Publication

M arie C harlotte A rnauld 5 96,

Contribution

5 6

( Washington,

1 955

Ceramic American Orleans:

1 958

" The P lace Mesoamerican 2 4:151-60.

WAUCHOPE, 1 948

R . Excavations at Z acualpa, American Research I nstitute Orleans: Tulane University).

WEBB, 1 973

D . C.).

S equence at Uaxactun, Guatemala, Middle Research I nstitute Publication 2 0 ( New Tulane University). of Fine Orange Pottery in Archaeology," American Antiquity

Guatemala, Publication

Middle 1 4 ( New

M .C. " The Peten Maya Decline Viewed in the Perspective of State Formation," in The C lassic Maya Collapse, ed. T .P. Culbert, pp. 3 67-404 ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

WETHERINGTON, R .K. 1 978 The Ceramics of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, Monograph Series on Kaminaljuyu ( University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press). WILLEY, 1 967

G . R., T .P. CULBERT, AND R .E.W. ADAMS "Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Report from t he 1 965 Guatemala City Conference," American Antiquity 3 2:289-315.

WOODBURY, 1 953

R .B., AND A .S. TRIK The Ruins o f Z aculeu, The William Byrd Press).

3 28

vols.

1 and

2 ( Richmond:

1 4 R ecen t R esearch o n t he P rec lass ic C eram ics o f t he S ou theas tern H igh lands a nd P ac i f ic C oas t o f Gua tema la A rthur A .

D emarest

T he p ast d ecade h as s een many important r esearches and d iscoveries i n t he s outheastern h ighlands a nd t he P acific c oast r egions o f M esoamerica. H ere I s ummarize s ome p reliminary i nformation on t hese n ew r esearches f rom the s outheastern a rea, c oncentrating o n c eramic s tudies and d iscoveries o f t he P reclassic p eriod w ith r eference to the n ewer p ublications, works i n press, u npublished manuscripts, o r o ngoing s tudies i n t hese a reas. F rom the v iewpoint o f a c omparative c eramic c onference, o ne o f t he more r elevant r ecent i tems i s the d efinition o f P reclassic c eramic s pheres f or t he s outheastern p ortion o f t he s outhern h ighlands. B uilding f rom well-controlled d eposits and c eramic a nalyses a t C halchuapa a nd S anta L eticia i n western E l S alvador, Bob S harer a nd I h ave d efined c eramic s pheres a nd t heir major t ypes, g roups, a nd modes f or this r egion ( Demarest 1 986; D emarest and S harer 1 986). C omparative t axonomic s tudies-i nvolving b oth t ype-variety a nd modal a nalyses--have i ndicated t hat a z one o f great c eramic s imilarity e xtended f rom a t l east a s f ar west a s Kaminaljuyu i nto western E l S alvador. F igure 1 s hows t he approximate a rea o f the p roposed L ate P reclassic c eramic s pheres a nd s ome o f t he s ites t hat w ere i ncluded i n t heir d efinition a nd s tudy. C eramic a ssemblages w ithin t his z one f rom at l east 5 00 B C t o about AD 2 50 s hared t he major f ine r ed, o range, a nd b lack monochromes i n a ll o f t heir complex modal m anifestations a nd f orms. S phere s ites a lso s hared t he major U sulutan c eramics i ncluding c ream u nderslipped types a nd t he u nslipped o r I zalco g roup U sulutans. L ate s hared t ypes i ncluded t he c oarse i ncised O suna g roup c eramics i n t heir c haracteristic f lower pot f orms. A lso s hared were most minor t ypes, c enser f orms, a nd most modes i n the v arious l ocal r ed-on-buff j ar t raditions. Overall, c omparative s tudies i ndicated c eramic s pheres f or t his z one t hat a re a s t ight a s t hose i n the Maya l owlands-3 29

OBSID IAN SOURCES

>

V ista

t e Her mosa

areas

and

Yaru me la A

A rthur A.

•

o

1

—

33 0 3

7 0

if 0

4

De marest

P reclassic C eramics o f S outheastern H ighlands where recent i nterpretations h ave t ended to move opposite direction, i ndicating g reater d iversity.

i n t he

T hese s pecifically d efined a nd p lotted c eramic s pheres h ave p rovided a f oundation f or n umerous more f ocused s tudies o f c eramic composition, s pecial t ypes a nd t echnologies, c ulture h istorical p roblems, and t he i ssue o f s ocial c orrelates f or t he o bserved a rtifactual p atterns. Chemical c omposition s tudies ( Bishop, D emarest, and S harer, i n p ress; B ishop a nd D emarest 1 986) h ave i ncluded n eutron a ctivation a nalyses c onducted by Ronald B ishop a t B rookhaven N ational L aboratory. These s tudies d emonstrated t hat t he f ine b lack, o range, a nd r ed wares w ere l ocally p roduced i n e ach s ub-region d espite t heir n ear identity macroscopically. A c lose s haring o f s tylistic n orms a nd t echnology was a pparently the p rincipal s ource o f i ntersite c eramic s imilarity. Only s elected f ine wares were t raded a cross t he sphere a rea. F or example, K aminaljuyu's f ine i ncised h ard b lack c eramics w ere a pparently manufactured o nly i n t he valley o f Guatemala a nd t raded a s f ar away a s w estern E l S alvador. S tudies o f t he c hronology, d evelopment, variation, and t echnology o f U sulutan d ecorated c eramics have b een b ased o n our greatly expanded s ample f rom t he s outheast h ighlands a nd a djacent a reas. S harer a nd I have p roposed a c hronology a nd e volutionary s equence f or t he U sulutans o f western E l S alvador, where U sulutan d ecoration was f ound on over h alf t he pottery f rom n early a ll t he major c eramic g roups ( Demarest a nd S harer 1 982). I n my own t ypological a nalyses t here I h ave t reated i t a s a mode o r modes r ather t han a s a type, group, ware, or other c lass. T echnical s tudies o f U sulutan s urfaces h ave b een c onducted by M ary Hopkins ( Hopkins 1 986). H opkins' s tudies, c onducted a t t he Massachusetts I nstitute o f T echnology, h ave i nvolved s canning e lectron microscopy, p roton m icroprobe, r efiring e xperiments, and o ther t echnical a nalyses that h ave d isproved most o f the popular h ypotheses o n t he method u sed t o p roduce t he I zalco-style U sulutan s urfaces. The precise method u sed r emains u ncertain, b ut t here a re s ome promising l eads f rom r ecent s tudies. I t n ow s eems most l ikely t hat t he U sulutan s urfaces w ere c reated by a ltering t he c olor o f t he dark b ackground z one. This may h ave b een d one with e ither a p enetrating a queous i ron w ash, an a lkali p aint, o r s ome o ther c hemically a ctive agent ( Hopkins 1 986:248-249). Other s tudies h ave f ocused on s pecific c ultureh istorically i mportant types, g roups, or modes. O ne s uch f inding worthy o f n ote i s t hat Aguacate O range: Atecozol v ariety o f western E l S alvador p robably d id n ot h ave any r elation t o t he important Aguacate O range c eramics o f P rotoclassic a nd E arly C lassic B elize a s G ifford, S harer 3 31

Arthur A . D e r narest W illey, a nd o thers h ad o riginally p osited ( Demarest a nd S harer 1 986; D emarest 1 986: Chapter 6 ; c f. Gifford 1 970; S harer and G ifford 1 970; Willey a nd G ifford 1 961; S heets 1 976). S harer a nd I h ave tentatively p roposed t hat t he h ighland Terminal P reclassic p olished o range ware b e r edesignated t he A tecozol g roup, r ather than Aguacate O range. C onversely c eramics c lassified i nto s everal o f t he c lasses d efined b y Wetherington's K aminaljuyu c lassification i nclude many s herds o f the o range/red Atecozol h ighland g roup. I t appears, t hen, t hat t he h ighland Atecozol ( alias Aguacate) g roup i s a nother e vidence o f i ntra-highland c eramic s imilarity, n ot l ong d istance c ontact o r i ntrusion i n t he M aya l owlands. I n f act, t hese more s ystematic u nderstandings o f h ighland a ssemblages h ave a llowed a g eneral reassessment o f h ighland-lowland c omparisons a nd t heories o f t he h ighland c ontribution t o t he F loral P ark a nd o ther P rotoclassic c eramic c omponents a nd f eatures i n t he Maya l owlands. O verall, t he n ew evidence and s tudies h ave n egated e arlier h ypotheses o f migrations, influences, o r events that w ere p reviously p erceived i n t he c eramic r ecord. N one o f t he major d iagnostic g roups o f t he c eramic s pheres a ppears i n t he l owland P rotoclassic c omponents. C onsiderable e xchange o f m odes o ccurs but does s o g radually over f our to f ive c enturies, i ndicating a c ontinuous l attice o f h ighland-lowland i nteraction and e xchange r ather t han f ocused events o r i ntrusions. W ithin t he s outheast h ighlands t hemselves i n t he Late P reclassic t he c lose s imilarities i n c eramics were p aralleled b y s hared t ypes o f f igurines, c hipped l ithics, g roundstone, s culpture, a rchitecture, burial p ractices, a nd s o o n to produce a c onfiguration l ike t he t raditional " archaeological c ulture a rea." At this p oint i t i s only p ossible t o s uggest h ypotheses on s ocial c orrelates f or t he p attern and on mechanisms o f i nteraction and i nterregional c ohesion ( Demarest 1 986; D emarest and S harer 1 986). F arther t o t he w est, a nalyses i n progress p romise to e xtend a nd r efine o ur k nowledge o f c eramic p atterns i n the h ighlands. T he materials f rom Robert Wauchope's e xcavations i n t he 1 970s i n h ighland J utiapa a nd S anta R osa a re now b eing c lassified by Margaret B ond ( personal c ommunication, 1 985, 1 986). These m aterials i nclude the c eramics o f V ista H ermosa ( see F ig. 1 ). P reliminary r esults on M iddle t o L ate P reclassic materials i ndicate a c eramic a ssemblage possessing a ll o f the s phere d iagnostics i ncluding t he c haracteristic r ed, orange, and b lack monochromes a nd U sulutan types. I n t he valley o f Guatemala a t K aminaljuyu, r ecent s alvage excavations d irected b y Marion H atch ( personal c ommunication, 1 984-86) h ave a ltered many a spects o f o ur 3 32

P reclassic C eramics o f S outheastern H ighlands understanding o f that s ite. Her ongoing r eanalysis o f the Kaminaljuyu ceramics s hould help produce a more easily applied t axonomy that will f acilitate i nterregional comparisons. Hatch h as u sed these analyses a s a s tarting point for comparison to other highland and coastal r egions ( see, for example, H atch 1 985). T urning to t he P acific coast of Guatemala, one f inds that s urface s urveys and recent excavations have provided only an i nitial g limpse o f c oastal ceramic s equences. Nonetheless, these r esearches have a lready raised numerous problems. I n t he f ar s outheast, the coast o f t he departments o f Jutiapa and S anta Rosa has been one o f the l east explored r egions o f Mesoamerica. The only r ecent r esearch on t he P reclassic was a very preliminary r econnaissance that I c onducted l ast year ( Demarest, Medrano, and Arroyo, i n prep.). Materials s alvaged f rom s everal P reclassic s ites under destruction i n S anta Rosa i ncluded c eramics, f igurines, and even small portable s culpture consistent with the L ate P reclassic c eramic s phere d efinitions. Assemblages i n this a rea h ave a ll s phere d iagnostics but with a greater f requency o f purpleon-fine orange c eramics, a minor type i n E l S alvador. M iddle P reclassic materials i ncluded two f igurine heads in Cochas-like " Olmecoid" style. Most i nteresting i s the f act that assemblages a s f ar west a s eastern E scuintla are c learly more s imilar to western S alvadoran a ssemblages t han to any materials f arther west. The Department o f E scuintla on the central coast has s een considerable r esearch i n recent years. Most notable a re studies o f t he E arly and Middle P reclassic c eramics at t he s ite o f E l B alsamo. S tudies by Barbara S tark and o thers ( Stark 1 981, S tark and Heller 1 981) a re l ooking at t he economics o f c eramic production at that s ite, while E dwin S hook a nd Marion Hatch ( 1978) h ave undertaken g eneral analyses o f c eramics. Farther i nland n ear the p iedmont, H atch and Shook ( in prep.) have excavated at Monte A lto a nd their ceramic monograph--now b eing c ompleted--will be a major s ource of information on the M iddle to Late P reclassic of the central coast. On materials o f a l ater t ime l evel, survey and e xcavations i n p rogress by Fred Bove a re r ecovering i mportant i nformation on the Late P reclassic o f the c entral c oast ( Bove 1 981, personal communication 1 983-86). T hese Late P reclassic occupations were r adically t ransformed a nd c entralized at the s ite o f Balberta at the v ery beginning o f t he Early C lassic period. This c ultural t ransformation may i nvolve Kaminaljuyu and/or Teotihuacan c ontact and possibly a greater emphasis on cacao p roduction. I n a ny c ase, it i s manifested ceramically in a dramatic c hange i nvolving a reduction i n both t he number o f types and t he variety o f modes. This high degree o f

3 33

A rthur A . D emarest s tandardization s uggests t he p ossibility p roduction of ceramics i n the Early C lassic.

o f

mass

Moving to the f ar western c oast i n t he departments o f S an Marcos and Retalhuleu, we f ind the only region of the c oast that has been s tudied f or over two decades. However, r ecent work t here by Edwin Shook, Marion Hatch, and Michael Love has tended to c omplicate, r ather than c larify, t he earlier c eramic s equences presented by Coe and F lannery. I n their 1 979 publication, S hook a nd Hatch ( 1979) describe excavations i ndicating that the S an Marcos s equences might be i n some way d ifferent f rom t he OcosCuadros-Jocotal-Conchas Early t o Middle Preclassic s equence originally proposed by Coe and F lannery ( 1967) a nd generally c onfirmed by more excavation i n Chiapas ( e.g., Lowe 1 977, 1 978). S hook and Hatch r ecovered a new c eramic c omplex beneath t he Early P reclassic C uadros deposits in a c lear s tratigraphic s ituation. No one i s quite c ertain o f t he r elationship o f this new N avarijo c omplex--with i ts diagnostic t ear-shaped t ecomates--to the very different thin walled Ocos c eramics. Equally troubling i s the enigmatic a ssociation b etween t he Ocos and the Middle P reclassic Conchas phase c eramics. These complexes s hould be s eparated by s everal c enturies according t o t he Coe and F lannery chronology. However, originally Coe f ound them t ogether at La V ictoria ( Coe 1 961) a nd r ecently S hook, H atch, a nd Love have r eported that i n excavated deposits a nd surface s urveys, Ocos materials a re c onsistently f ound beneath o r mixed with Conchas phase materials ( personal c ommunication, 1 9848 6; S hook and H atch 1 979; L ove 1 984). There i s no deposit y et excavated in Guatemala with Ocos d irectly beneath Cuadros p hase c eramics. However, the s ample i s s till f airly l imited. H atch h as s uggested that p erhaps the Ocos complex a rrives or develops l ater in Guatemala than in Chiapas or that Ocos i n Guatemala r epresents a d istinct f unctional o r ethnic c omponent contemporary there with the l ocal a ssemblages s uch a s Jocotal ( Hatch, personal communication, 1 985, L ove 1 984; c f. Demarest, in p ress). The e xact n ature a nd chronological p lacement o f the Guatemalan v ersion of Ocos may be c larified by a r ecent d iscovery f arther e ast i n Retalhuleu. There at the s ite o f Manchon a s eries o f l arge, a pparently pure and undisturbed Ocos mounds ( Fig. 2 )--some over s even meters h igh--were d iscovered by construction activity this year ( Demarest ms.). Manchon i s the f irst l arge unmixed Ocos s ite yet d iscovered i n Guatemala, ' as well a s the e asternmost s ite of that c eramic complex. S alvage excavations there are p lanned f or 1 987 that should h elp c larify s ome o f t he c omplications o f t he eastern Ocos culture ( Demarest ms.).

3 34

P reclassic C eramics o f S outheastern H ighlands

W

W

4 • H 4 1 O C d

0 0 4 7

• H • 0 a l e

r d

1 4 7 ) O 3 a i 0 0

W W

E 4 ) o ( 4 1 o, c H

Er • d t y lw

Reduced

W Cd

3 35

Arthur A . D emarest A more s urprising f ind i s t he r ecent discovery of a n O cos s ite i n w estern E l S alvador ( Dept. o f Ahuachapan). Excavations a re p lanned f or 1 987 a t t his n ew Ocos s ite ( El C armen). I ts e xcavation s hould c larify and a lter our understanding o f the spread, extent, and r egional variations i n Ocos culture which i s now k nown to r ange i n a rea f rom c entral Veracruz to at l east E l S alvador. Another t roubling f ind f rom r ecent work on the western c oast r egards t he question o f " Olmec" influence o r i nvolvement t here. At a ll o f the s ites s urface c ollected or e xcavated by S hook, H atch, or Love, the Early P reclassic C uadros a nd Jocotal c eramics were lacking t he s o-called O lmec d iagnostic traits ( Love 1 984; H atch, p ersonal c ommunication 1 985). I ncised O lmec motifs such a s f lame-eyebrows, S t. Andrews C ross, a nd wing-paw, were a bsent f rom t hese a ssemblages--again i n c ontrast to the s ituation i n Chiapas. O lmecoid f igurines were not f ound i n C uadros d eposits here i n c ontrast to the Salvadoran a ssemblages. D ifferential-firing w as c ommon on Cuadros a nd J ocotal c eramics i n the western Guatemalan c ollections, b ut t rue white r imming o n b lack wares i s very r are. I ndeed i n a ll r espects Cuadros and J ocotal appear t o be modest l ocal d evelopments i n G uatemala. All o f the O lmec o r O lmecoid t raits and massive ceremonial a rchitecture a ppear only a fter 8 00 o r 9 00 BC in the M iddle P reclassic C onchas s ites. Again t his chronology does not c orrelate w ith a djacent areas i n Chiapas, but i s parallel t o t he C ob s a nd K al p hase c eramic f eatures and a rchitectural f lorescence r eported b y S harer at d istant C halchuapa i n w estern E l S alvador ( Demarest, i n press). The s cale o f Conchas phase constructions--as revealed by s alvage e xcavations by S hook, H atch, a nd L ove--was a lso f ar g reater t han p reviously imagined. The n ow-destroyed c eremonial c omplex a t L a B lanca h ad o ne mound over 2 5 m i n h eight a nd overall t his s ite may h ave been c omparable to c ontemporary d evelopments i n the O lmec heartland ( Shook a nd H atch 1 979). H owever, i n my opinion, most aspects of the Conchas c omplex--especially c eramics--look distinctly s outheastern, w ith many correspondences to the assemblages o f western E l S alvador. O ther s urprises a re s urely i n s tore on the Pacific c oast a s there a re m any l arge, u nexcavated, and even u nreported s ites a ll a long the c oastal p lain. For e xample, i n R etalhuleu t he s ites o f R io Jesus and U juxte a re among many u nexplored Middle t o Late Preclassic c eremonial c enters ( personal observation 1 985). U juxte h ad a c entral a rea o f over a s quare k ilometer and several mounds over 2 0 m i n height. I t may h ave been one of t he l argest and e arliest coastal chiefdoms. I n s ummary, t he p ast s outheast h ighland r egion

d ecade o f r esearch in t he o f Guatemala a nd western E l 3 36

P reclassic C eramics o f S outheastern H ighlands S alvador has t ended not only to f ill t his b lank z one i n our maps and chronologies, but has a lso challenged c eramic chronologies and interregional i nterpretations developed i n other areas. I n t he next decade it i s the s outhern Pacific coast and s lopes o f Guatemala that promise to be new sources o f c hallenges a nd contradictions. A s this l ong l ittoral " black hole" in our archaeological knowledge i s explored we may once again face the need f or g lobal revisions in o ur i nterpretations o f ceramic change, i nterregional c ontacts, a nd cultural development throughout southern Mesoamerica.

References B ISHOP, 1 986

R .L., AND A . A. DEMAREST " Chemical Analysis and Ceramic C ompositional Modeling o f the Southeastern H ighland Monochrome Ceramics," Appendix 8 i n The Archaeology o f S anta L eticia and the Rise o f Maya C ivilization, by A .A. Demarest. Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 5 2 ( New Orleans: T ulane University).

B ISHOP, R ., A . D EMAREST, AND R . S HARER i n press " Chemical Analysis and t he I nterpretation o f Late P reclassic I ntersite Ceramic P atterns i n the S outheast H ighlands o f Mesoamerica," i n The Archaeology o f t he Pacific Coast and H ighlands o f S outhern Mesoamerica, ed. F . Bove. ( Tucson: University o f Arizona Press). BOVE, 1 981

F .J. " The Evolution o f Chiefdoms a nd S tates on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala: A Spatial Analysis," Ph.D. d iss., University o f California, Los Angeles.

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AND K . V. FLANNERY Early Cultures and Human E cology i n South Coastal Guatemala, Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, vol. 3 ( Washington, D .C.: Smithsonian I nstitution). A .A. The Archaeology o f Santa Leticia and the Rise o f Maya Civilization, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 5 2 ( New Orleans: Tulane University). 3 37

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O l mec

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A . A., S . MEDRANO, AND B . ARROYO " Reconocimiento Preliminarde 1 985 Sureste de Guatemala."

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AND R . J. Origins

Ceramic 1 986

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4 7:810-822.

and E . M. Press).

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J . C. "The Earliest and E lements at Barton Maya 6 :1-10.

( Austin:

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Other I ntrusive Ramie," Ceramica

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M .P.

1 985

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Style,"

l a

"Late Preclassic Ceramic Spheres, Culture Areas, and Cultural Evolution in the Southeastern Highlands o f Mesoamerica," in The Southeast Maya Periphery: Problems and Prospects, eds. P . A. Urban Texas

HATCH,

SHARER and Evolution

de

Receintes I nvestigaciones Arqueologicas en l a Costa Sur de Guatemala: Informe Preliminar. Universidad del Valle, Guatemala. M .P.,

prep.

HOPKINS, 1 986

AND

D . M.

SHOOK

" The Ceramics o f Monte A lto. Department of Social Science, Valle, Guatmala. M . R. "Analyses Usulutan

Ms. on f ile, Universidad de

of the Technique o f Decoration," Appendix

I zalco-type 9 in The

Archaeology of Santa Leticia and the Rise of Maya Civilization, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 5 2, pp. 2 39-249. ( New Orleans: LOVE, 1 984

Tulane

University).

M . "Results o f the paper presented

1 983 Naranjo Drainage Survey," at the 4 9th Annual Meeting of

3 38

P reclassic C eramics o f S outheastern H ighlands the Society Oregon. LOWE, 1 977

f or American Archaeology,

Portland,

G . W. " The Mixe-Zoque as Competing Neighbors of the Early Lowland Maya," in The Origins of Maya C ivilization, ed. R . E. W. Adams, pp. 1 97-248. ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico and the S chool of American Research).

1 978

" Eastern

Mesoamerica,"

World Archaeology, eds. Meighan, pp. 3 31-393. P ress).

in

Chronologies R .E. ( New

Taylor York:

in New and C . W. Academic

SHARER, 1 970

R .J., AND J .C. GIFFORD " Preclassic Ceramics from Chalchuapa, El Salvador, and Their Relationships with the Maya Lowlands," American Antiquity 3 5:441-461.

SHEETS, 1 976

P .D. The I lopango Volano and the Maya Protoclassic, Research Records No. 9 . Museum o f Anthropology ( Carbondale: Southern I llinois University).

SHOOK, 1 978

E .,

1 979

" The Early Preclassic Sequence i n the OcosSalinas La B lanca Area, South Coast of Guatemala," Contributions of the University o f California Archaeological Research Facility, no. 4 1. B erkeley.

S TARK, 1 981

B .

S TARK, 1 981

B .,

WILLEY, 1 961

AND M .P. HATCH " The Ruins o f E l Balsamo," Journal of New World Archaeology, vol. I II, no. 1 ( Los Angeles: University of California).

" Pottery in Relation to Economy and Social Organization at E l Balsamo, E scuintla, Guatemala," paper presented at the XVII Mesa Redonda, Sociedad Mexicana de Antropologia. Mexico. AND L . HELLER " Economia Preclasica en E l Balsamo, Guatemala: Ideas y Evidencia," Mesoamerica vol. 2 , pp. 1 822 19. ( Antigua, Guatemala: Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamerica).

G .R., AND J .C. GIFFORD " Pottery o f the Holmul I Style f rom Barton Ramie, British Honduras," in Essays i n PreColumbian Art and Archaeology, eds. S . K. Lothrop and others, pp. 1 52-170. ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press). 3 39

1 5 C opan a nd i t s N e ighbors : P a t terns o f I n terac t ion R e f lec ted i n C lass ic P er iod Wes tern H onduran P o t tery P atricia A . U rban a nd E dward A l . S chortman

The purposes o f t his p aper are, f irst, t o p rovide a systematic overview o f H onduran c eramics during t he C lassic era ( AD 2 00-900) a nd s econd, t o u se t hese d ata t o p hrase hypotheses c oncerning p atterns o f i nterregional interaction. T here a re many ways we c ould g o a bout t his task. O ur approach i s c onditioned by t he h istory o f archaeological r esearch i n H onduras, where i nvestigations have t raditionally f ocused on t he Maya c enter o f C opan and its immediate s ustaining a rea. W ithin the p ast 2 0 y ears this s ituation h as b egun t o c hange a s work o utside C opan has been s ystematically p ursued i n a variety o f a reas. The recency o f t he r esearch, h owever, means t hat d etailed reports a re s parse: t he b est published data o n c eramics and other material c ategories a re s till t hose f rom C opan. Because o f t hese b iases, we concentrate o ur e fforts on a s et of questions r elated t o C opan. F irst, we d iscuss t he extent t o which t he " Maya-ness" o f Copan, s o evident i n the a rchitecture, p lanning, a nd s culpture o f t he s ite c ore, i s r eflected i n C lassic period c eramics. S econd, we l ook at what i nsights c an be p rovided i nto t he n ature o f C opan's i nteractions w ith i ts immediate neighbors by a c omparison o f Copan c eramics with p ottery f rom other H onduran s ites. F inally, we t ry to d etermine what r ole Copan might have p layed i n t he i ntegration o f H onduran s ites i nto w ider n etworks i nvolving s ocieties i n the Maya l owlands and h ighlands a nd E l S alvador. The r egion i s the unit o f primary concern t o u s, and n ot the i ndividual s ite. A r egion i s d efined h ere a s a p hysically bounded u nit whose i ncluded c ontemporary s ites e xhibit c lose m aterial--including c eramic--similarities. T hese s imilarities a re t he p roduct o f, a nd a re maintained b y, c lose i nteraction among s ite r esidents. U nits o f c eramic comparison a t t his l evel a re t ypes a nd varieties d efined by t he c onsistent a ssociation o f s tylistic 3 41

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman a ttributes, i .e., modes o f s urface t reatment and d ecoration ( Gifford 1 960; S mith e t a l. 1 960; W illey et a l. 1 967). S everal r egions a re d efined and u sed i n t his paper ( Fig. 1 ): t he C opan v alley, t he Comayagua valley, the northern s hore o f L ake Y ojoa ( represented s olely by t he i nvestigations a t t he s ite o f L os N aranjos), t he S ula p lain, t he Naco valley, and the m iddle U lua drainage o f c entral S anta B arbara, d ivided i nto n orthern ( Gualjoquito a nd T encoa valleys) and s outhern ( sites o f E l Nispero a nd L a M ariposa) r esearch z ones. O ther r egions c ould b e d efined, s uch a s the S iguatepeque, Q uimistan, and L a E ntrada v alleys, but a t t his point t hey l ack s ufficient p ublished c eramic data t o b e u seful. R egions c an b e g rouped i nto l arger i nteraction n etworks i ncluding t he r esidents o f s everal i nterc ommunicating a reas. T he more s imilar t he c eramics of two r egions a re i n t erms o f their s tylistic a ttributes, t he h igher t he d egree o f i nferred ancient i nteractions. B ut, i f t ypes and varieties a re the units o f c eramic c omparison a t t he r egional l evel, what c an we u se f or a s imilar p urpose a t l arger s patial s cales? F ollowing the l ead o f t he 1 985 a nd 1 986 H onduran C eramics C onferences ( see H enderson a nd Agurcia, t his volume), we a rgue f or the u se o f t he " ceramic s ystem" ( Gifford 1 976:12). A c eramic s ystem i s a c ollection o f h omologous t ypes within a s ingle t ype c lass o f p ottery ( cf. G ifford 1 976:16-17), f ound in a n umber o f d ifferent r egions. A s ystem represents a c ontinuous t emporal s pan a nd, i deally, s patial d istribution. Types a nd their varieties f all within the s ame s ystem i f t hey s hare a s ignificant n umber of modes o f s urface t reatment and d ecoration. R egions that share r epresentatives o f t he s ame c eramic s ystem t herefore give e vidence o f ancient i nteraction; t he more s ystems shared b etween t wo or m ore r egions, t he g reater t he i nferred i nteraction. P articipants a t t he 1 986 H onduran C eramics Conference a dopted t he t erms " systems" a nd " subsystems" a s i ntegrative u nits, t he f ormer r eferring t o b road l evel s imilarities i n s urface t reatment a nd d ecoration among types, t he l atter t o f iner s ubdivisions within t he s ystem. We f eel the s ystem/ s ubsystem t erminology h as c ertain d isadvantages, i n p articular t he r edefinition o f the s ystem concept. Our c ompromise i s t he " supersystem," d efined a s a c ategory c ontaining two o r more s ystems whose c omponent types e xhibit g eneral c ommonalities o f s urface t reatment and d ecoration, s uggesting a c ommon, i f r emote, i nspiration and which a re f ound o ver a c ontinuous s patial a nd t emporal s pan. T he u se o f the s upersystem a llows u s t o maintain the o riginal d efinition o f t he s ystem, while s till s tressing s ignificant r elations among s ystems. A f urther advantage o f t he s upersystem i s t hat i t i s a nd i ntegrative unit 3 42

Copan and its Neighbors

Q . 4 U P

343

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chor t i tan designed to s ubsume l ower l evel i ntegrative units ( unlike t he type c lass, which does not necessarily r eflect i nterareal t ies and communication). Not a ll systems need be grouped within s upersystems. T he u nit o f interregional c omparison remains the s ystem, because i t i s among types within these categories t hat s imilarities a re the c losest, implying d irect contact and t he spread o f i deas. S upersystems are l ess u seful on t he l evel of regional c omparison; a lthough their component systems are presumed to have derived f rom s imilar inspirations, the l ikenesses are on such a general l evel that they need not imply direct c ontact among the pottery manufacturers. The above discussion focuses on s imilarities among l ocally p roduced wares and ignores c eramic t rade. C learly t he presence o f imported . vessels f rom known sources within an a rea g ives the most d irect e vidence of c ontact. Nevertheless, we are currently not i n a position i n westc entral Honduras t o s ecurely i dentify pottery sources f or more than a f ew types ( Beaudry 1 983; B ishop et a l. 1 986). I nferences o f c eramic exchange, where p osited, rest primarily on the subjective criteria of d iversity and abundance and c an o nly be c autiously used to supplement hypothesized i nteraction patterns based on s ystem c omparisons. The relevant phases f rom regions producing c eramic d ata b elonging to t he Early C lassic a re: Copan ( Bijac and Acbi, AD 2 00-700, only the f irst part o f Acbi i s included i n our c onsideration o f t he Early C lassic, V iel 1 983; c f. E arly C lassic F irst and S econd Parts, AD 4 20-580, Longyear 1 952); L os Naranjos ( latter p art of E den I I, 1 00 BC-AD 5 50, B audez and Becquelin 1 973); the Naco v alley ( Period IV, AD 3 00-600, Urban 1 986); c entral S anta B arbara ( Early C lassic, AD 2 00-600); and the S ula p lain ( Choloma I II, Colonia Care, S heehy 1 979). During t he L ate C lassic the f ollowing phases and r egions a re p ertinent: Copan ( end o f Acbi through Coner, AD 7 00-850 f or Coner, Viel 1 983; c f. F ull C lassic, L ongyear 1 952); L os Naranjos ( Yojoa, AD 5 50-950, Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973); Naco valley ( Period V , AD 6 00-950, Urban 1 986); c entral S anta Barbara ( Late C lassic, AD 6 00 - 9 50); t he S ula p lain ( Late l evels at Travesia, J oyce 1 983a; S heehy 1 978; S tone 1 941; and S anta Rita, Las F lores Bolsa, a nd P laya de l os Muertos, Strong, K idder, and Paul 1 938); and the Comayagua valley ( Lo de Vaca I II, B audez 1 966; Y arumela I V, Canby 1 949, 1 951). The analyses o f ceramics f rom western and central Honduras r epresent a mosaic o f methods. The majority o f r esearch projects have employed the t ype-variety-mode method o f c eramic s tudy ( e.g., Urban 1 986; Schortman et a l. 1 983; Viel 1 983). S ome, however, used modal analysis a lone ( e.g., B audez 1 966) while s till others have combined the two ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973). The p roblem i s that these d ifferent approaches r esult in drastically different 3 44

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors descriptions o f r ecovered pottery. I n many c ases, modal s tudies s tress a ttributes o f s urface t reatment a nd decoration, and attributes o f form and paste c an s ometimes be l inked to these s tylistic modes. I n this way typevariety units c an be reconstructed f rom published modal d escriptions, a lthough these reconstructions r emain t entative. This s tudy i s based on our own analyses o f materials f rom the N aco valley a nd t he middle U lua d rainage, and a r eview of the published l iterature on C lassic period Honduran c eramics. This was s upplemented by t he d irect visual comparison o f c eramics f rom the f irst two r egions w ith study c ollections f rom the Copan, S ula p lain, a nd northern L ake Yojoa z ones. The s even c enturies o f the C lassic e ra a re traditionally d ivided in t he l owland Maya area i nto Early and Late s ubdivisions. These roughly correspond t o H ealy's ( 1984) t emporal d ivision f or Honduras i nto P eriods IVb and V . In t his paper we apply the traditional t erminology and d ivide t he C lassic period o f western a nd c entral Honduras i nto two units: E arly C lassic, AD 2 00-600, corresponding to t he l atter part o f H ealy's period IVb and t he b eginning o f V ; and L ate C lassic, AD 6 00-900, the majority o f period V in Healy's s cheme.

EARLY CLASSIC

( AD

2 00-600)

The Early C lassic i s one of the l east understood p eriods i n Honduran p rehistory. I n this p eriod, the c eramics a re g rouped within g eneral s upersystems d efined b roadly by s urface t reatment and decoration where a ppropriate, a lthough t he Chinacla, L oma L arga, C ancique, H ijo, and I otampoco s ystems are not p laced w ithin l arger s upersystems. I n addition, a r esidual c ategory i s c omprised of c eramics that do not f it within the above s ystems. S everal of t he l atter a re r are i n l ocal c ollections and a ppear to be imports. P apalaja

S upersystem

Vessels within this supersystem are l argely open bowls d ecorated with n egative p ainted l inear and b lotchy designs. Two ceramic s ystems c onstitute the Papalaja s upersystem: S umpul a nd Bob . Sumpul s ystem. Pottery i n this c lass i s d istinguished by a h ard, f ine tan paste and a s ingle burnished orange s lip on the i nterior a nd exterior ( Izalco U sulutan; D emarest and S harer 1 982). D ecoration appears a s n egative p ainted l inear o r c urvilinear p atterns. I ncised or g rooved d ecoration on o r j ust below vessel r ims i s c ommon. The most f requent f orm i s a f laring wall bowl s upported by 3 -4 3 45

P .A . U rban a nd E. M . S chortnan nubbin f eet. U sulutan vessels change l ittle between the L ate P reclassic a nd Early C lassic, the p rincipal modification being a greater range o f s upports, with hollow c onical and mammiform tetrapods s upplementing the e arlier s olid nubbins. Basal f langes, s ometimes s calloped, a lso appear. S ingle s lipped U sulutan pottery i s f ound at a ll s ites i n t he s tudy area s ave Travesia a nd t he Naco valley. Copan ( Izalco U sulutan, V iel 1 983:505-506, Chabij to Coner phases; Burnished Ware, Longyear 1 952:92-95) apparently p roduces the l argest amount o f this p ottery t hough precise p roportions are not yet available. S umpul specimens are e specially prevalent during Copan's B ijac phase; by early Acbi U sulutan f requencies drop n oticeably. C learly, however, Sumpul system sherds are a major proportion of the Early C lassic a ssemblage. Copan a lso has the g reatest d iversity o f f orms, i ncluding composite s ilhouette bowls a nd l ow n ecked g lobular j ars, a s well a s f laring wall bowls ( Longyear 1 952:92-95). These forms are found rarely i f at a ll at other western and central Honduran s ites. Gualala S treaky S lip i n central Santa Barbara i s a l ocal i mitation of I zalco U sulutan. F orms a re open bowls whose s urfaces are c overed by a well-smoothed to burnished s treaky orange s lip decorated with w eak negative p ainted l ines a nd b lotches. Gualala r epresents ca. 6 % of the Early C lassic a ssemblage. The existence o f l ocal imitations o f I zalco i n other r egions was noted a t the 1 986 Honduran C eramics C onference but these taxa r emain to be described by their excavators. Central S anta Barbara ( Izalco U sulutan), Colonia Care ( Muerdalo Orange, S heehy 1 979:49), and L os Naranjos ( Muerdalo Orange, B audez and B ecquelin 1 973:170-184) h ave l esser q uantities o f this ceramic ( 8-15% a t Los Naranjos, ca. 1 0% at Colonia Care. As at Copan, S umpul types drop i n f requency in the l ater part o f the Early C lassic i n central Santa Barbara and a t Los Naranjos. The w idespread d istribution o f S umpul pottery t ies Copan with a wide r ange o f western a nd central Honduran r egions. Moreover, I zalco U sulutan p ottery i s found b eyond western and central Honduras into E l S alvador, eastern Guatemala, and Belize. This pattern s uggests that the s tudy area was merely a s egment o f a l arge interaction n etwork a long which s ingle-slipped, n egative painted v essels, or the inspiration f or their l ocal production, f lowed. The c oncentration o f S umpul pottery at Copan and t he d iversity o f forms f ound there s uggests that the r esidents o f t he c enter may have p layed a s ignificant role i n this communication s ystem, perhaps l inking Honduran s ites to Copan's east w ith populations beyond the s tudy z one. The observed distribution p attern may h ave o riginated i n t he L ate P reclassic. 3 46

Copan a nd i ts N eighbors Bolo s ystem. Double-slipped Usulutan decorated vessels with a white to pale brown underslip covered by a red-orange s lip r epresent an a ncient P reclassic t radition ( Demarest and Sharer 1 982). The l ighter underslip shows through as the n egative painted decoration ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:183-193). S urface treatment, decoration, and forms c losely r esemble I zalco/Muerdalo types in the Early Classic. D ouble-slipped U sulutan has been f ound primarily at L os Naranjos ( Bobo Orange; i bid.) where i t represents roughly 9 % o f l ate Eden I I collections. I t has a lso been reported in small amounts at Colonia C are ( Bob Orange; Sheehy 1 979:49) and more abundantly e lsewhere i n the S ula p lain ( e.g., J oyce 1 983b:6). Choloma

S upersystem

Vessels in this c ategory are generally open bowls s lipped o range and decorated with r ed painted designs. Two systems are contained: Chilanga and Chasnigua. Chilanga s ystem. P ottery in this s ystem i s distinguished by a hard, f ine tan paste s imilar to I zalco U sulutan. S urfaces a re covered w ith a well-burnished orange s lip decorated with negative painted decoration i n p arallel l ines ( Fig. 2 ), b lotches, c ircles, a nd i rregular a reas. The type's h allmark i s the addition o f a positive r ed painted c ircumferential r im b and. Red painted l inear, c ircular, b lotchy, and animal motifs a lso appear on vessel walls. Forms a re u sually b owls: hemispherical and r estricted orifice at Copan, s ub-hemispherical i n c entral S anta Barbara, hemispherical and sub-hemispherical i n the S ula plain ( Joyce 1 983b:6). Chilanga appears near the end of the Early C lassic i n c entral S anta B arbara and i s common now at Copan ( Chilanga Rojo-sobre-Usulutan; Viel 1 983:517-518; Acbi). I t i s f requently f ound i n Late C lassic deposits in t he S ula p lain, and r ecent analyses o f Sula pottery p lace i t i n the E arly C lassic a s well ( e.g., J oyce 1 983b:6-7; Chilanga: La L ima and Cristobal varieties; Beaudry, personal c ommunication 1 986). Chilanga may be present i n small amounts at Los Naranjos and i s rarely reported f rom the N aco Valley ( Urban 1 986). Chilanga, l ike I zalco, appears to have spawned a n umber o f l ocal imitations ( Fig.' 3 ), c onsisting o f subh emispherical bowls manufactured o f apparently l ocal p astes, s lipped o range, a nd d ecorated w ith positive r ed and n egative painted designs ( San Rafael Red-painted U sulutan, c entral S anta B arbara, and Regadillo Red-on-orange with R esist, Naco valley). They represent minor portions o f t heir r espective a ssemblages. Chasniqua

s ystem.

Chasnigua

3 47

types

a re distinguished

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

\\

1 F ig.

2 .

Chilanga

50 4 4

Usulutan

examples.

3 48

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

5 CM

Fig. 3 . S an variety.

Rafael

Red-Painted

U sulutan:

S an

Rafael

by red p ainted d esigns on orange s lipped s urfaces without negative p ainted decoration. Forms a re hemispherical, subhemispherical, and f laring wall bowls. Recent analyses of Copan ceramics did not reveal red-on-orange painted bichromes ( Viel 1 983), a lthough Longyear's earlier mention of Red-on-Orange Shallow and S imple B owls i n the l atter part of t he E arly C lassic ( 1952:96) s uggests that they made up a very small p art o f Copan's a ssemblage. Red--sometimes specular--decoration occurs on the interiors and exteriors of bowls in b ands and in l inear, b lotchy, and naturalistic designs. Chasnigua Red-on-orange varieties occur i n unknown f requencies in the S ula valley, and another Chasnigua system member, E l Conejo B ichrome ( previously Chamelecon B ichrome; Urban 1 986), i s p resent but r are i n t he adjoining Naco valley. Decoration i s restricted to red p ainted r im bands and occasional l inear designs on vessel walls i n both C hasnigua and E l Conejo. Chinacla s ystem. Orange s lipped, unpainted vessels l acking U sulutan decoration have a restricted d istribution. L ongyear ( 1952:91, 9 5-96) reports an " orange wash" on S hallow Bowls a nd tripod cylinders within his Orange Ware 3 49

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chor t man c ategory were s lipped orange but o therwise undecorated. B urdalu Rojo i s a minor type of the Acbi phase that i s c omposed of open bowls with everted r ims and a polished o range s lip ( Viel 1 983:511-513; c f. Cache Pots, Longacre 1 952:92). None of these types were c ommon. Aguagua Uneven O range in central S anta Barbara i s c haracterized by f laring walled and hemispherical bowls with l ightly b urnished o range-slipped s urfaces. Necked j ars are a lso recorded. Aguagua r epresents c a. 1 0% of the Early C lassic a ssemblage. L a Champa Orange: La Champa variety ( formerly Chamelecon O range: Chamelecon variety; Urban 1 986) i s the r epresentative o f this system within the Naco valley. Forms are a lmost exclusively s ub-hemispherical bowls. La Champa Orange represents 1 5-20% o f the Early C lassic a ssemblage. Chinacla system types are not c learly r eported i n the Sula p lain nor at Los Naranjos. J icatuyo

S upersystem

J icatuyo vessels are generally u nslipped, necked j ars d ecorated with red painted and/or incised l inear and g eometric designs on rims, necks, a nd/or shoulders. This c ategory i s comprised of f our systems during the Early C lassic: Magdalena, Chinda, Lupo, and Masica. Magdalena system. Examples of t his system are l argely vertical n ecked j ars with everted or f lared rims. D ecoration c onsists o f complex, r ed painted geometric designs l ocated on the neck, upper rim surface, and s ometimes the g lobular body. Jars a re generally equipped w ith two or f our red painted handles. The c learest examples are f rom t he Naco valley, where Magdalena Red-onnatural r epresents 1 5% o f Early C lassic assemblages ( Fig. 4 ; U rban 1 986). Los Naranjos representatives are two very minor types, Meambar Rouge-sur-beige and Urupa Rouge-surbeige ( ibid.:235-237).. A c losely r elated type, Marimba Red-on-natural, i s recovered from the S ula p lain in unknown amounts ( Joyce 1 983a:4). No Magdalena system sherds were r ecovered f rom Colonia Care ( Sheehy 1 979). At Copan, Prospero Rouge-sobre-beige ( Viel 1 983:508; B ijac) i s f ound in j ars with red painted vertical l ines and g eometric patterns on their exteriors. Frequencies are c onsistent i f not h igh. La I sla Red-on-natural: La I sla variety i s the consistent but minor c entral Santa Barbara example of the Magdalena system ( Fig. 5 ). La I sla i s found i n bowls and j ars decorated with f ine, usually c rossh atched, red painted designs on vessel exteriors. Chinda system. I n this system, the designs are primarily s imple l inear patterns or b lotches on unslipped, smoothed s urfaces. Forms are more variable than with Magdalena examples. Recent analysis o f Copan material has y ielded no c lear representatives o f this s ystem, a lthough L ongyear's Red-on-Brown Ware, Ring - Based Bowls and 3 50

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

11

1 ':

d

:11

11111

"

\

II

7/

0

5 CM 1 1

1

1

/

F ig.

4 .

1

40 7

"1

"

Magdalena Red-on-Natural:

Magdalena vareity.

S calloped Basal Molding Bowls ( 1952:95) f rom t he Early C lassic, S econd Part, may belong. Red p aint i s applied a s a r im b and a nd a s parallel wavy l ines--reminiscent o f I zalco negative painted designs in f orm and p lacement ( Longyear 1 952:95)--on t he i nteriors o f open bowls. The f requency o f these types i s unknown, but they s eem to have made up a moderate portion o f t he E arly C lassic a ssemblage. 3 51

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chcrtman

N\NN \

' 0

5 CM

I I I

F ig.

5 .

La

I sla Red-on-Natural:

La

I sla variety.

Taixiguat B lotchy Red: Taixiguat variety represents t his s ystem i n c entral S anta B arbara ( Fig. 6 ). Taixiguat c ontainers s upport broad l inear and " blotchy" decorations most c ommonly f ound on vessel exteriors. Forms are f laring wall and s ub-hemispherical bowls and pyriform and r estricted orifice j ars. Taixiguat makes up c a. 1 1% o f the E arly C lassic c ollection. At L os Naranjos, the primary member o f this system i s Chinda Rouge-sur-natural ( Baudez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:2412 47), which, t ogether with s everal o ther minor types, r epresent a c onsistent i f minor proportion o f Eden I I c ollections ( cf. Tucuche Rouge, Mongora Brun, Borboron Rouge, T zumulin Rouge; ibid. : 151-152, 1 64-169, 1 99 - 2 08, 2 09-212). Forms are p rimarily vertical or outflaring high n ecked j ars with r ed r im b ands a nd s imple red painted l inear and g eometric designs on the n eck. J ars with l ow vertical n ecks, r estricted orifice v essels, and f laring wall and h emispherical bowls are a lso f ound. There are s everal Colonia C are examples ( Carros Red-rimmed, Gomez R ed-on-white, Nance Red-on-brown, C ubano Red-on-buff, 3 52

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

5 CM

0

F ig.

6 .

Taixiguat B lotchy Red:

3 53

Taixiguat variety.

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman S heehy 1 979:46, 5 3) that, taken together, 1 0 96 o f the Choloma I II ceramics.

represent ca.

9 -

Lupo s ystem. This s ystem i s characterized by unslipped necked j ars and r estricted orifice vessels d ecorated with r ed paint, primarily on the r im, a nd s imple l inear and geometric, commonly cross-hatched, designs made w ith a s ingle p ointed i nstrument and u sually l ocated on the neck or shoulder. A white wash i s occasionally applied prior t o the i ncision. Copan's primary r epresentative o f this unit i s Cementerio I nciso ( Viel 1 983:510; B ijac through Acbi); some examples o f this type l ack red, suggesting possible f uture d ivisions i nto s eparate t axa ( Fash, p ersonal communication 1 986). Forms are s hort, f laring necked j ars and restricted orifice v essels with a pre-incision white wash. Cementerio r epresents a moderate proportion of E arly C lassic c eramics. Cocorico Rojo-sobre-aranjado ( Viel 1 983:513; Acbi), c onsisting o f concave-necked j ars l acking a white wash on t he incised portion o f t he n eck, r epresents a small but r egular part o f t he Copan Early C lassic collections ( cf. Coarse Ware Type B S torage J ars and Everted Rim J ars; L ongyear 1 952: F ig. 3 1a-g). The Naco and Sula valleys and c entral S anta B arbara p roduce nearly i dentical versions o f the Lupo s ystem, c alled F ronton Unslipped ( Fig. 7 ). No white wash i s applied to the incised j ar necks and the use of r ed i s i nconsistent. F ronton originates i n a ll three areas i n the p receding Late P reclassic era a nd represents c a. 3 -5% of Naco and central S anta Barbara Early C lassic collections ( Urban 1 986). A c losely r elated type, Cececapa I ncisedwith-red: Cutuquito variety ( Fig. 8 ) f eatures i ncised d ecoration over white wash on the upper shoulder of r estricted orifice j ars and on the n ecks of n ecked j ars. C ececapa r epresents s lightly more t han 4 % o f the Early C lassic a ssemblage. Varieties o f Lupo I ncised in the S ula p lain are f ound on open vessels, with r ed p ainted z ones a lternating with unpainted i ncised areas. At Los Naranjos s everal taxa may c ontain r epresentatives o f this s ystem, but apparently the Lupo system i s l ess important h ere than i n contemporary a ssemblages to t he west. Masica s ystem. Appearing l ate i n very s mall proportions in t he Early C lassic at Copan, Los Naranjos, t he S ula p lain, and central S anta B arbara, the Masica s ystem consists o f j ars decorated on the n eck o r shoulders w ith f ine, curvilinear, and c omplex geometric i ncised designs made with a multiple-toothed instrument. Red p aint i s applied to the r im, s houlder, and upper body, as well a s to the two or f our vertical tubular handles that may appear on s ome vessels. This s ystem i s represented at Copan by 3 54

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

5CM

0

F ig.

7 .

Fronton

Unslipped.

3 55

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

0

F ig.

5 CM

8 .

Cececapa

I ncised-with-Red:

Cutuquito variety.

Reina I nciso ( Fig. 9 ; c f. Viel 1 983:522; Acbi), a nd at c entral S anta B arbara by Masica I ncised: Dranzal variety. Associated forms are h igh, s lightly f laring necked and pyriform j ars, respectively. At L os Naranjos, Masica I ncise ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:296-299) i s characterized by c rude, s imple i ncised designs, which l ed members o f the 1 986 Honduran Ceramics conference to r ecommend p lacing this t ype i n i ts own system ( Rana). S heehy ( 1979:56) p laces s ome Masica I ncise sherds i n h is Choloma I II phase. Marimba Red-on-natural: Matopolo variety f rom the S ula p lain appears t o f all i nto this system. No Masica s ystem types were recorded f rom the Early C lassic Naco valley. Loma

Larga

system.

Vessels

3 56

i n

this

s ystem

h ave

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

:\

i

\

\ ,

0

5CM

I I I 1

F ig. 9 . Reina I nciso ( example t he Santa Barbara Archaeological

drawn f rom collections Project).

of

p rimarily tan s lips and red painted complex designs. Copan e xamples i nclude Chitam Rojo-sobre-beige ( Viel 1 983:510; B ijac and Acbi), Povmec Rojo-sobre-aranjado ( Viel 1 983:5165 17; Acbi), a nd Favela Rojo-sobre-beige ( Viel 1 983:511; A cbi). D esigns include parallel l ines, geometric figures, r are naturalistic motifs, especially monkey silhouettes ( Povmec), and " blotchy" red patterns. Forms are subh emispherical a nd hemispherical bowls w ith or without h ollow s upports; some restricted orifice vessels and j ars a re a lso recorded. These types represent a consistent m inority o f the E arly C lassic assemblage. The principal central Santa Barbara example White-slipped ( Fig. 1 0), consisting of j ars and s lipped tan to white and decorated with complex 3 57

is Jululo open bowls geometric

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chort r nan

\ \

1

// 0

Fig.

10.

5 CM

Jululo White-Slipped.

3 58

C o

n a nd i ts N eighbors

designs in red. Jululo represents c a. 8 % o f the E arly C lassic assemblage. Additionally, Loma Larga Red-onorange: L oma Larga variety ( Fig. 1 1), has complexly s tructured but poorly understood r ed painted designs, i s a ssociated with j ars and f alring wall bowls, and r epresents l ess than 1 % o f the r elevant c entral S anta Barbara collections. This system i s not c learly i dentified within the other i nvestigated areas. Cancique s ystem. Cancique Polychrome, originally defined at Los N aranjos ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:2882 90), i s a b ichrome t ype consisting o f orange-slipped hemispherical bowls decorated with curvilinear designs in purplish r ed f requently outlined w ith l ines o f small dots ( Fig. 1 2). One c omplete Cancique vessel had a s craped s lip design o f nested h orseshoe-like e lements at and below the body break. C ancique b ichromes appear i n small amounts l ate in the Early C lassic o f L os Naranjos ( sometimes with white paint added), central S anta Barbara, and the S ula p lain. T irantes Trichrome: T irantes variety f rom c entral S anta Barbara ( Fig. 1 3) i s a minor type i n t his s ystem. H igh, out-curving n ecked j ars, f laring wall a nd s ubh emispherical bowls, and restricted orifice vessels have d ecoration f ollowing the general Cancique c anons, with the addition o f small amounts of white to the predominant use o f purplish r ed. P olychrome

Supersystem

Polychrome decorated c eramics f irst appear i n the s tudy area in t he Early C lassic. They make up a very small s egment o f pottery collections, but a re h ighly diverse, and t hus there are probably s ystems within this s upersystem t hat cannot be d efined at p resent, owing to the f ragmentary n ature o f the r emains. Copan Early C lassic polychromes are grupo Dos Arroyos ( Viel 1 983:509; B ijac and Acbi) a nd Caldero B uff: S an ta v ariety ( ibid.:509-510; Acbi). These divisions undoubtedly c orrespond to L ongyear's distinctions within h is P olychrome Ware: Basal F lange Bowls Types A and B ( 1952:98-99). Forms a re f laring wall bowls with pronounced b asal f langes and o ccasional r ing bases. S urfaces are s lipped o range and e xteriors are p ainted in geometric a nd other undefined d esigns i n red a nd b lack. A c losely r elated type i s Cisne T richrome f rom C holoma I II deposits at Colonia Care ( Sheehy 1 979:55), which i ncludes orange-slipped basal f lange v essels decorated with r ed a nd b lack painted designs. P olychromes f rom l ate i n the Sula Early C lassic beyond C olonia Care p resage t he d evelopment o f U lua-Yojoa painted wares ( see below). Central S anta Barbara examples are s lipped o range with r ed and b lack painted d ecorations, p rimarily on vessel exteriors. R emains o f these containers have been too 3 59

P .A. U rban and E .M . S chortman

/

ERODED

0

Fig.

1 1.

Loma

Larga

„

5CM

Red-on-Orange:

3 60

Loma

Larga

variety.

2 0 t o

unspecified.

C opan and i ts N eighbors

B ichrome:

0

3 61

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

5 CM

1

1

0

Fig.

1 3.

Tirantes

Tichrome:

3 62

Tirantes

variety.

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors f ragmentary t o a llow d esign r econstructions. P olychromes s eem t o appear r elatively l ate i n t he c entral S anta B arbara Early C lassic s equence. At n eighboring L os N aranjos, Chichipate P olychrome appears n ear the e nd o f Eden I I ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:248-255). P ainted d esigns i n red a nd b lack, l ocated o n the necks and s houlders o f j ars and t he e xteriors o f c ylinders a nd f laring wall bowls, consist o f g eometric and l inear f riezes, a nd p anels containing a nimal f igures i ncluding b irds, j aguars, a nd serpents. N aco v alley E arly C lassic polychromes a re f ew ( Urban 1 986), t hough r ed a nd b lack p ainted d esigns, o ften birds, occur i n p anels b etween h orizontal bands on t he interiors o f orange s lipped s ub-hemispherical b owls. T hese vessels are c urrently c lassed a s Chamelecon P olychrome. A lthough t he s ample i s too l imited to define i nterregional p atterns, polychromes s eem t o appear e arlier a t Copan than e lsewhere, e xcept possibly C olonia C are, a nd t he use o f basal f langes i s, s o f ar, l imited t o Copan a nd Colonia C are. P olychrome b asal f lange bowls i n contemporary l owland Maya T zakol a ssemblages provide t he c learest a nalogues f or t he H onduran e xamples. S imilarities s uggest t ies u niting t he r esidents o f Copan and a t l east portions o f t he S ula p lain on t he o ne h and w ith l owland Maya to t he west o n the o ther. S uch t ies may h ave b een d iverse a nd C opan a nd C olonia C are peoples may h ave r eceived t heir p olychrome vessels o r i nspirations a long d ifferent r outes f rom d istinct s ources. Unslipped Vessels The majority o f t he pottery i n a ll E arly C lassic a ssemblages are u nslipped utilitarian bowls and j ars w ith n o d istinctive d ecorations. T his material i s d ivided i nto two s ystems, H ijol a nd I otampoco, b ased on vessel s urface f inish. Hijol s ystem. V essels i n t his s ystem c ome i n a w ide r ange o f f orms and a re d istinguished by their p olished s urfaces. At C opan, c ommonly o ccurring t ypes i nclude H ijol C afe ( Viel 1 983:508; B ijac t hrough Acbi, t hough most c ommon i n B ijac) a nd H astalgorro P ulido ( Viel 1 983:510-511; B ijac through A cbi). H ijol f orms a re h igh, f laring n eck j ars with z oned p olish, t he upper exterior vessel wall b eing l eft rough while the l ower s egment i s well-burnished, a nd appliqued f illets may s eparate t he z ones. H astalgorro i s burnished overall and occurs i n l ow, f laring n eck j ars, c omales, a nd r estricted o rifice v essels ( cf. C oarse Ware a nd Burnished Ware, L arge Bowls; Longyear 1 952:89-90, 9 39 5). Representatives o f t his s ystem i n c entral S anta B arbara are G uayabita B urnished B lack-brown a nd G uitin U nslipped. G uayabita, d iminishing f rom a L ate P reclassic h igh t o l ess t han 1 % o f t he E arly C lassic c ollection, 3 63

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman u sually o ccurs a s s ub-hemispherical a nd f laring w all b owl f orms w ith h ighly p olished i nterior a nd e xterior s urfaces. G uitin, r epresenting approximately 8 % o f t he Early C lassic a ssemblage, has h ighly b urnished s urfaces, a nd i s f ound o n s imilar bowl f orms, a s well a s i n p lates or c omales, v ertical to o utcurving n ecked j ars, a nd r estricted orifice v essels w ith o r w ithout everted r ims. H astalgorro a nd G uitin a re s imilar i n t heir f orms a nd s urface t reatment. E specially t elling i s the presence o f c omales i n both t axa, a f orm t hat h as r arely been r eported e lsewhere i n the s tudy area. H ijol s ystem v essels a re n ot r eported a s a s eparate g roup a t L os N aranjos, Colonia Care, n or i n t he Naco valley. B urnished f laring wall b owls a nd f laring n eck j ars a re r ecorded i n e arly T ravesia l evels ( Joyce 1 983a:4) a nd a t o ther S ula v alley s ites ( Tulian B urnished, M . B eaudry, p ersonal c ommunication 1 986), though t heir f requency s eems l ow. I t i s n ot c lear whether this d istribution o f H ijol t ypes s imply r epresents d ifferent m ethods o f c lassifying unslipped vessels o r a real dearth o f burnished e xamples o utside C opan, c entral S anta B arbara, a nd t he S ula p lain. I otampoco s ystem. A lthough u nburnished, u nslipped v essels are w idely r eported f rom t he s tudy area, the t endency t o l ump s herds o f t hese containers i nto l arge, u ndifferentiated c ategories o bscures any i nterregional p atterns t hat m ight h ave existed. R epresentatives o f this s ystem i nclude: C opan--Iotampoco B urdo ( Viel 1 983:511; B ijac a nd Acbi; c f. Coarse Ware, L ongyear 1 952:89-90); c entral S anta B arbara--Ceguaca C oarse P aste a nd M acuelizo P lain; L os N aranjos--Jaitique G rossier ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:123-130) a nd Mongora B run ( ibid. : 164-169); C olonia Care--Caritas B rown, Chacon Appliqued, and Fifi White ( Sheehy 1 979:47-49); Naco v alley--Jicaro Unslipped ( Urban 1 986). F orms a re g enerally n ecked j ars, restricted o rifice v essels, a nd open b owls. D ecorative embellishments a re l argely r estricted t o appliqued f illets p laced a round t he b ase o f j ar n ecks ( Los N aranjos a nd possibly C opan and C olonia C are). The only obvious d istributional pattern i s C opan's apparent monopoly o f c omales w ith horizontal tube h andles. S pecial

C eramics

T hough they do not f all i nto t he above c eramic s ystems, a nd r epresent o nly a m inor p roportion of E arly C lassic a ssemblages, s everal E arly C lassic types do b ear on t he question o f C opan's i nteractions w ith o ther r egions. T hese s uggest that C opan h ad a n unusual d iversity o f very m inor v essels, e ither i mported o r f oreign-inspired. S lab-footed t ripod c ylinders, s ometimes with l ids, s imilar t o " Teotihuacan s tyle" containers f rom t he c ontemporary Maya l owlands, a re f ound a t Copan i n the 3 64

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors Louisiana I nciso a nd U surpar Exciso e I nciso types ( Viel 1 983:515-516; Acbi; c f. Longyear 1 952:97-98). Further, the b lack s lipped, well-burnished monochrome, Melano Negro ( Viel 1 983:515; Acbi; c f. B lack Ware, S imple Bowls, Longyear 1 952:97) a nd t he c hannel-decorated S un i Acanalado and Mapache Acanalado ( Viel 1 983:513, 5 16; Acbi) types s how c lose similarities with c ontemporary c eramics f rom the middle Motagua drainage in eastern Guatemala ( ibid. 5 135 16). These data, together with the basal f lange polychromes noted e arlier f rom Copan, i ndicate that Copan's residents maintained t ies with the Maya l owlands and adjoining uplands. I t i s a lso of i nterest to note that these types represent the total corpus o f " Maya" ceramics at E arly C lassic Copan. None o f the other " special c eramics" reported f rom e lsewhere i n the s tudy z one s how s uch c lear parallels with non-local taxa. There are, however, a number o f red s lipped and white s lipped types t hat, because of t heir diversity and poorly understood nature, continue to r esist integration within s ystems. The white s lipped t axa represent small p roportions o f Early C lassic deposits at Los Naranjos and C olonia Care. Red s lipped types a re more prevalent, being found in both open bowl and j ar forms at Copan, Los Naranjos, Colonia Care, a nd i n various other s ites within the S ula p lain. D espite the number o f individual types so f ar defined, they do not s eem to represent more t han a minor part o f their r espective Early C lassic a ssemblages. As work c ontinues on this material we anticipate the definition o f s everal systems within the red s lipped t ype c lass.

LATE CLASSIC

( AD 6 00-900)

The e arly s ubdivision of H ealy's P eriod V , the Late C lassic, i s the best known o f a ll t ime periods o f Honduran prehistory. Papalaja

Supersystem

Sumpul and B olo systems. Negative-painted, s ingle- or double-slipped c eramics continue i nto the Late C lassic i n most of the a reas s tudied. Their numbers p rogressively d ecrease throughout the p eriod, however, and they represent o nly a small p roportion of c eramic a ssemblages. The exception to this trend s eems to be at Los Naranjos where Muerdalo a nd B olo t ogether make up c a. 4 % o f the Yojoa a ssemblage ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973). C holoma

S upersystem

Chilanqa s ystem. Red painted U sulutan types are f airly common i n the l ate portion o f t he Early C lassic and c ontinue i nto t he early s egment of t he L ate C lassic i n 3 65

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman s everal regions. At Copan, Chilanga Rojo-sobre-Usulutan p eaks in popularity during the f irst years of t he Late C lassic, declining rapidly thereafter ( Viel 1 983:517 - 5 18; l ate Acbi, e arly C oner; L ongyear 1 952:96-97). A new type appears within this system at Copan early in the Late C lassic, Arturo I nciso ( Viel 1 983:518; end of Acbi through Coner). Arturo i s l ess common than Chilanga and consists o f r estricted o rifice vessels d ecorated in the Chilanga s tyle with the addition of f ine-line i ncisions f requently a ssociated w ith a modeled f ace. L ike Chilanga, Arturo declines markedly i n f requency throughout the l ater portion of the Coner phase. The s ame pattern o f a peak and then decline in red p ainted U sulutan occurs in central S anta B arbara. Arturo i s a lso f ound i n the northern s ection o f this region i n e arly L ate C lassic deposits, a lthough i n such small amounts t hat these vessels may have been imported. At Los Naranjos, V ijagual Trichrome ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:285-287), e ssentially i dentical to Chilanga at Copan a nd in central S anta B arbara, r epresents a very small proportion o f the Yojoa assemblage and dwindles i n s ignificance toward t he end o f that phase. Chilanga-like material i s recorded in small amounts in the Comayagua v alley i n Lo de Vaca I II l evels ( Baudez 1 966:311), a s well a s in t he Naco valley ( Urban 1 986). The s ituation i n the S ula p lain i s l ess c lear. Chilanga system c eramics are p resent in Late C lassic excavation l evels at Travesia ( Joyce 1 983a:6) a nd Cerro P alenque ( Joyce 1 984:10), but do not continue i n s ignificant amounts i nto the l atter p art of the L ate C lassic ( ibid.). P ersonal e xamination of s ome of the material and conversations suggest that red painted U sulutan vessels were v ery common i n at l east the early portion o f the Late C lassic ( J. Henderson, T . Murray, and M . Beaudry, personal communication 1 986). The l ocal variants of Chilanga in the Naco valley ( Regadillo) and c entral S anta B arbara ( San Rafael) f ollow the s ame g eneral f requency t rends, t hough they r emain much l ess numerous. Chasnigua s ystem. At Copan, Longyear's ( 1952:30, 9 69 7) Red-on-Orange Ware, Shallow and S imple Bowls, and Thick Walled, F ooted Bowls f it in t his system, and are apparently f airly common. These orange s lipped open bowls are d ecorated w ith bands, l oops, splotches, and occasionally n aturalistic f igures painted i n red, s ometimes specular r ed. I n central S anta Barbara, open bowls i n two varieties o f Calix Red-orange represent the Chasnigua system: Naranja P intada variety has r ed painted designs and B lackbanded variety i s decorated with two p arallel b lack bands on t he i nterior. Both varieties a re rare, occurring exclusively i n s outhern S anta B arbara a ssemblages. Chasnigua r ecovered by Archaeological

R ed-on-orange: F ilopo variety has been t he r ecent work o f the S ula V alley P roject and c learly f its in the system. 3 66

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors This minor type c onsists o f orange s lipped s ubhemispherical bowls decorated with a r ed or b lack band at the r im ( J. H enderson and M . Beaudry, p ersonal communication, 1 986). The s ame s ituation h olds in the Naco valley where a minor type, E l Conejo Bichrome, i s nearly identical in f orm, s urface t reatment, and decoration. No Chasnigua system types are reported f rom Late C lassic deposits in t he Comayagua v alley nor at Los Naranjos. Chinacla system. O range s lipped sub-hemispherical bowls constitute a l arge proportion o f the Naco ( La Champa Orange: La Champa variety) and Sula p lain ( Chasnigua Orange) Late C lassic collections. La Champa and Chasnigua are nearly identical i n f orm a nd s urface t reatment. At Copan, Surlo Aranjado-cafe ( Viel 1 983:523; end o f Acbi through Coner) f laring wall a nd h emispherical bowls a re moderately common ( cf. O range Ware S imple Bowls and Coarse Ware Shallow B owls, Longyear 1 952:96). Central S anta B arbara's representative o f t his subsystem, Calix Redorange, o ccurs i n moderately h igh q uantities at t he s outhern s ites o f E l Nispero and La Mariposa and consists of s ub-hemispherical bowls. I n the Tencoa and Gualjoquito valleys t o the north, orange s lipped monochromes are r epresented by s mall q uantities o f Jabuas Orange-slipped: J abuas variety open bowls. E lsewhere, at Los Naranjos, Chinacla s ystem types are not reported f rom c lear L ate C lassic c ontexts, and in Comayagua orange s lipped vessels a re reported but their dating i s unclear ( Stone 1 957:373 8). J icatuyo

Supersystem

Magdalena s ystem. S imilar types in the Magdalena system l ink the Naco ( Magdalena Red-on-natural) and S ula ( Marimba Red-on-natural: Mariscal variety) r egions i n the L ate Classic ( Joyce 1 983a:4-6; S trong, Kidder, and P aul 1 938:40, 4 9, 6 6-68; Urban 1 986). These types grow in importance f rom t heir E arly C lassic beginnings, with l ittle c hange i n f orms, s urface t reatment, or decoration. Meambar Rouge-sur-beige a nd Urupa Rouge-sur-beige from Los Naranjos a lso r epresent t his s ystem ( Baudez a nd Becquelin 1 973:2352 40) and are probably imports, a s i ndicated by t heir small n umbers. Chinda s ystem. Chinda Rouge-sur-natural represents a moderately l arge proportion o f the Yojoa phase ceramics at L os Naranjos ( Baudez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:241:247), a nd i s a lso f ound i n small quantities in the S ula p lain i n the e arly portion o f the L ate C lassic ( E. Robinson, p ersonal c ommunication 1 986). I n the Comayagua valley, a common r ed-on-"natural" category o f p ottery w ith c rude r ed l ines o n unslipped r ims occurs a s j ars, " cups," and " effigy v essels ( Stone 1 957:35-36). Unfortunately t he t emporal position of t his taxon remains uncertain.

3 67

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman Copan has f ew examples of t his system in the Late C lassic ( Viel 1 983), though Longyear's Coarse Ware Storage J ars, Type B may contain some r epresentatives of this group ( 1952:89-90). This type consists of j ars whose high, gently outcurving n ecks a re d ecorated on the interior with r ed or orange paint. S imple l inear painted designs are o ccasionally found on t he upper body. Red painted examples i n central Santa Barbara are varied i n form and decoration, t he principal r epresentative being S anta Rosita Red-onn atural: S anta Rosita variety, which c onsists of unslipped s ub-hemispherical bowls with burnished s urfaces. B road r ed painted l inear and b lotchy designs ( Fig. 1 4) at the r im and on t he exterior s uggest an attempt t o imitate Chilanga U sulutan. S anta Rosita represents a moderately l arge p roportion o f t he T encoa and Gualjoquito valley a ssemblages; it i s not present f arther to the south, where C alix Red-orange may h ave been i ts f unctional equivalent. I n northern S anta Barbara, T izate O range-washed pyriform j ars a re r elatively minor occurrences. Copan and c entral S anta Barbara contain Chinda types that s how no c lose p arallels to other members o f t he s ystem. Lupo s ystem. Cementerio I nciso a t Copan continues to b e f ound i n the Late C lassic Coner phase ( Viel 1 983:510), i n u nknown f requencies, but L upo system types virtually d isappear f rom Late C lassic collections i n a ll other r egions o f the s tudy area. Masica

s ystem.

This

c eramic

s ystem

i s

well-

r epresented at Copan by Reina I nciso ( Viel 1 983:522; Acbi t hrough Coner, primarily C oner) and C ruz I nciso ( Viel 1 983:525; Coner), which a re s imilar i n f orm and decoration. A n ew mode i s an appliqued z oomorphic f ace on the vessel body which i s s urrounded by i ncised l ines. Reina and Cruz c onstitute a moderately h igh p roportion o f the Copan Late C lassic a ssemblage ( cf. Coarse Ware S torage Jars, Types B a nd C , L ongyear 1 952:89-90). Masica I ncised: Gualjoquito variety f rom c entral S anta B arbara i s s imilar to R eina a nd C ruz a nd l ittle c hanged f rom the Early C lassic D ranzal variety ( Figs. 1 5-1 6). L ater i n t he L ate C lassic e ra t hree n ew varieties appear, N ispero ( in the south) and Z aragosa and Malin ( Tencoa and Gualjoquito valleys; F igs. 1 6-18), c haracterized by a dark r ed p aint and c rude i ncised and r ed painted designs. F orms a re generally pyriform j ars though gently outcurving neck j ars a lso characterize N ispero variety. As at Copan, z oomorphic f aces s urrounded by i ncised l ines are frequently f ound on vessel bodies f rom northern central Santa Barbara. Varieties o f Masica make up a c onsistently h igh proportion o f the Santa Barbara collections. A number o f r elated minor types and varieties occur in the Tencoa and Gualjoquito valleys. Maroncho Red-andi ncised: Maroncho variety j ars w ith everted r ims ( Fig. 1 9) 3 68

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

M I 4 -) . 1 W 0

C d 1 ) C d C l ) • r 4 e g i

VESSEL I NTER IOR

4 C d Z I 0 r j i C D f : 4

C d 4

. 1 W 0 ( Z

C d

4 ) C d

3

c r )

C . ) I D

—

1

0

3 69

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chort r nan

1 1 1

.1 1 .1 . 1 • 1 1P"

0

F ig.

1 5.

Masica

I ncised:

5 CM

Gualjoquito variety.

have vertical necks decorated in a lternating panels of f ine-lined i ncision a nd solid r ed painted b locks. Tamaguapa White-painted: Tamaguapa variety and Masica I ncised: T ierra B lanca variety ( Fig. 1 9) c onsist of n ecked j ars with a white wash or s lip applied over the neck prior to decoration w ith f ine, multiple-line i ncised curvilinear and geometric d esigns. Red paint i s f ound on j ar rims and in as y et u nreconstructed d esigns on t he body. The numerical importance of Masica system types and t heir c onsiderable variety in c entral S anta B arbara s uggest that this area was a c enter of p roduction and development o f these vessels. The d rop i n t he s ignificance of Masica 3 70

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

A

\ 0

F ig. 1 6. I ncised:

5 CM

I

a , Masica I ncised: Nispero variety.

Gualjoquito variety.

b ,

Masica

s ystem pottery t o the east i s s triking. At Los Naranjos, M asica I ncise makes up a very small p roportion o f the Yojoa p hase materials ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:296-299). While t he decorations in r ed p aint a nd i ncision are r elated to C opan and central Santa B arbara examples, f orms are p redominantly n eckless j ars with c rude i ncision on the v essels' upper s houlders. Applied animal heads surrounded by i ncised l ines are found on s ome vessel walls. A minor t ype f rom the Comayagua valley, S ula J icaque S tyle, w ith f ine i ncised l inear and curvilinear designs on l ow, s traight n ecked and n eckless j ars, i s c losely related t o Masica ( Stone 1 957:43, F ig. 3 9, P l. 5 3c). Small amounts 3 71

Incised:

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

3 72

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

0

5 CM

11 F ig.

1 8.

I 1

Masica

I ncised:

Z aragosa variety.

o f a very s imilar type are r eported in Lo de Vaca l evels ( Baudez 1 966:312, P l. 6 e, I ncise e Rouge) and at s ite o f Las Vegas ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:299).

I II the

On the Sula p lain, j ars with " delicate, wavy comblike p atterns" on t heir unslipped n ecks ( Strong, K idder, and P aul 1 938:40, 4 9, 6 6, 6 8) may be part o f the Masica system. S tratigraphic excavations at Travesia and other S ula s ites s uggest that Masica j ars disappear l ate i n the Late C lassic ( Joyce 1 983a:4-5; Sheehy 1 978:122), and never c onstituted

3 73

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

A

0

5 CM

F ig. 1 9. a , Masica I ncised: Tierra B lanca variety; Maroncho Red-and-incised: Maroncho variety.

3 74

b ,

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors anything but a minor proportion o f Sula p lain Late C lassic materials ( M. Beaudry and J . H enderson, p ersonal c ommunicat ion 1 986). I n the Naco valley a complete ceramic s equence through t he Early and L ate C lassic a ttests to the a lmost t otal absence o f Masica vessels ( Urban 1 986). Only the massive L ate C lassic center o f La S ierra produces small amounts of Masica Incised: La S ierra variety, which more c losely r esembles Maroncho than Masica, Reina, or Cruz types ( J. H enderson, personal communication). Loma L arga s ystem. This system occurs exclusively in c entral S anta Barbara in Pena B lanca White-slipped: P ena B lanca variety i n t he Gualjoquito and T encoa valleys i n the n orth, and Calix Red-orange: White-washed variety at E l N ispero and La Mariposa in the s outh ( Hasemann 1 979; U rban a nd S chortman n .d.). Both types occur in small proportions a nd consist of s ub-hemispherical, f laring wall, and r estricted orifice bowls s lipped white and decorated with r ed p ainted l inear and curvilinear designs. Cancique system. Cancique purplish red-on-orange v essels continue to be found i n small numbers i n central S anta Barbara, L os Naranjos ( Baudez a nd Becquelin 1 973:2882 90), and the S ula p lain ( Joyce 1 984:10), while appearing a s a minor type a t Copan ( Viel 1 983:526; Coner) and i n Lo d e Vaca I II l evels, Comayagua valley ( Baudez 1 966; B audez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:290; Stone 1 957: F ig. 5 0A). No c lear s igns of the earlier trichrome type ( Tirantes) are f ound in a ny studied r egion. No Cancique material was r ecovered f rom Late C lassic deposits i n the Naco valley. Cancique t ypes are generally absent f rom d eposits dating to the end o f t he Late C lassic i n a ll areas. O tuta

I ncised a nd C arved

S upersystem

Pottery vessels decorated with i ntricate deeply c arved o r i ncised designs in this supersystem are included i n two s ystems, Ardilla and Besal. They are relatively r are i n west-central Honduras. Ardilla s ystem. Representatives o f this c lass are f ound almost exclusively at Copan as Madrugada Modelado y G rabado ( Viel 1 983:524-525; Coner; c f. Carved Brown Ware a nd B lack Ware, Carved Bowl, Longyear 1 952:97-98) and Ardilla Exciso y I nciso ( Viel 1 983:524; Coner). Madrugada i s composed o f f laring wall bowls and cylinders with modeled and deeply i ncised p seudo-hieroglyphic r im bands a nd n aturalistic motifs, f requently human f igures; Ardilla i s s imilar except t hat design i s formed by e xcising and i ncising. Both types may have red paint applied a s well. Together t hey c onstitute a m inor p art of L ate C lassic a ssemblages.

3 75

P .A. U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

Madrugada has been f ound in central Santa Barbara and a carved " Maya" s herd i s r eported i n t he Comayagua valley ( Baudez 1 966:315), but i n both areas the very small amounts s uggest importation f rom Copan. E lsewhere, in t he Sula p lain, at Santa Rita and Las F lores B olsa ( Strong, K idder, a nd Paul 1 938:44, 5 1), and in the Y ojoa-Comayagua c orridor ( Stone 1 957:60), l imited numbers o f p ottery imitations o f c arved marble vessels are found and are c learly s eparable f rom the Copan Ardilla sherds i n that t hey l ack h ieroglyphs a nd n aturalistic f igures. The origins o f t his material may l ie in the S ula p lain and its distribution was p rimarily r estricted to the eastern r egions of t he s tudy zone. Besal system. At Copan, Besal I nciso ( Viel 1 983:523; Coner) unslipped, burnished, open bowls and cylinders with s imple, s hallowly i ncised geometric a nd naturalistic d esigns f orm a consistent but minor c omponent. I n n orthern c entral S anta B arbara, a ubiquitous but minor Besal s ystem t ype i s Cerro Herab o I ncised ( Fig. 2 0), which i s s o c losely s imilar to B esal at Copan t hat i t w as probably a l ocal imitation and suggests c lose l inks b etween t he two areas. C erro Herab o f orms are p rimarily r estricted neck b owls and a n easily eroded red paint i s f ound o n the r im and b ody. E lsewhere, at L os Naranjos the r are Capucal I ncise P oli ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:300-303), s lipped r ed open bowls i ncised below t he r im, s eem to be inspired b y Copan examples and may be imported r ather than l ocally manufactured. Sula v alley i ncised p ottery bears l ittle r esemblance to Besal types f rom Copan, S anta Barbara, and Los Naranjos ( cf. Joyce 1 983b:16-17), and may constitute a d istinct system; the Naco and Comayagua valleys have produced no c lear members o f this s ystem. P olychrome

Supersystem

The s ingle most characteristic f eature of t he Late C lassic i n west-central Honduras i s the development of a wide variety of p olychrome types whose present definitions a re variably precise. Following the l ead o f the 1 985 and 1 986 Honduran Ceramics Conferences, the west-central Honduran polychromes a re divided i nto t hree s ystems: Copador P olychrome, U lua Polychrome, a nd C hamelecon P olychrome ( Agurcia a nd H enderson, this volume). Copador Polychrome s ystem. T he two most p rominent members of this system are Copador P olychrome itself and Arambala P olychrome. Copador i s characterized by v essels with a f ine c ream paste, a burnished c ream o r orange s lip, and painted decoration i n b lack, specular hematite r ed, and orange ( Viel 1 983:520-522; Coner; L ongyear 1 952:99-101). P seudo-glyphic painted bands f requently encircle vessel r ims b elow which on t he exterior are s eated or r eclining human f igures and l arge geometric or g lyphic designs ( see B eaudry, t his volume). The interior j ust below t he r im i s 3 76

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors

\1

5CM

0

F ig.

20.

Cerro H erab o I ncised: 3 77

variety unspecified.

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S chortman s ometimes decorated with p ainted p seudo-glyphic b ands o r l ines o f s tylized b irds. F igures a re o utlined i n r ed o r b lack and f illed w ith o range o r r ed. F orms i nclude c ylinders, h emispherical o r c omposite p rofile b owls, a nd e ffigy j ars u sually with modeled f rog f aces and l imbs o n t he s houlder. The l ast two f orms a ppear e xclusively l ate i n the Late C lassic s equence at C opan ( Longyear 1 952:30). Copador has a r estricted d istribution w ithin t he s tudy a rea, t he g reatest concentration being at Copan where f orms a re a lso t he most d iverse ( Beaudry 1 983). Mineralogical a nd chemical t ests s trongly i ndicate t hat t his region was t he f ocus o f C opador p roduction ( Beaudry 1 983; B ishop e t a l. 1 986). Within the Copan valley, Copador vessels are f ound i n both c eremonial a nd domestic c ontexts, t he l atter s panning the r ange f rom e lite t o humble h ouseholds ( Beaudry 1 983:354-355; L ongyear 1 952:99-101). Copador i s only r arely r ecovered a t most s ites i n t he s tudy area e xcept i n c entral S anta B arbara, where i t r epresents r oughly 3 .5% o f t he L ate C lassic polychromes and was p robably imported f rom C opan. F orms i n S anta B arbara a re p rimarily l imited t o s ub-hemispherical and f laring wall b owls, while a t Los N aranjos t he vessels a re s ub-hemispherical bowls ( Baudez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:294), s uggesting t hat a l imited r ange o f f orms may h ave been e xported f rom C opan. Arambala P olychrome i s composed o f composite and c onvex w all b owls with a b urnished orange s lip and d ecorated with dull r ed, o range, a nd b lack painted h uman, b ird, a nd g eometric motifs. A lthough designs s o c losely r esemble those on C opador t hat f ragments have been l abeled " imitation C opador" ( Longyear 1 952:62-63), Arambala i s d istinguished by i ts r ed p aste and l ack o f specular red p aint. I t i s c urrently t hought t o h ave b een produced i n t he Chalchuapa s ite z one o f western E l S alvador ( Beaudry 1 983:139-140) a nd i s o nly f ound i n west-central Honduras a t C opan. U lua P olychrome s ystem. The p rimary c omponent o f this s ystem i s U lua-Yojoa P olychrome ( sometimes r eferred t o a s B abilonia P olychrome), whose v essels are s lipped red, o range, o r yellow, a nd decorated--primarily o n the e xterior--with e laborate d esigns p ainted i n r ed, b lack, and white ( e.g., B audez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:257-267; S trong, K idder, and P aul 1 938; S tone 1 957). Motifs vary f rom g eometric d esigns ( Bold G eometric) and n aturalistic a nimal f igures ( Bold Animalistic) to humans s eated, l inked ( "dancing f igures") o r i n p rocessions ( Mayoid). Panelling, " textile" . p ainted e lements, s tylized p rofile h eads, p seudog lyphs, and c arved g eometric designs a re a lso f ound. I nteriors are decorated with c ircumferential color b ands a nd s ometimes s hort v ertical e lements t ermed " counters." T he most c ommon f orm i s t he c ylinder, f ollowed by h emispherical a nd r estricted o rifice b owls, t ripod p lates, a nd l ow n ecked j ars c ommonly e quipped with t wo small tube 3 78

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors handles. A possibly s ignificant cylinders w ith paired, painted l ugs the f ace o f monkey and bird f igures.

variant consists o f that r epresent part o f

The distribution of U lua-Yojoa pottery partially overlaps that o f C opador but i s l argely complementary to i t. Vessels are c ommon in the S ula p lain, on the northern s hore of Lake Yojoa, and in the Comayagua valley in what appear to be e lite and non-elite residential contexts. I t was probably imported i nto the Copan valley where i t i s s omewhat r estricted to e lite r esidences ( Beaudry 1 983:330, 3 32). U lua-Yojoa constitutes the majority o f Late C lassic polychromes in northern and s outhern central Santa Barbara, and most s eem to have been manufactured l ocally, though a s ignificant minority with f ine pastes may have been imported ( and may b e associated with e lite compounds). I n the Naco valley, t he f ew U lua-Yojoa vessel f ragments f ound were almost exclusively a ssociated with e lite residences and were probably imported ( Urban 1 986). Warranting s eparate c lassification i s Bold Geometric with I ncision ( Stone's Bold Geometric, Textile P atterns; 1 957:33), consisting o f high collared, orange s lipped, g lobular j ars w ith geometric painted decorations below the r im and deeply i ncised and red painted geometric motifs b elow that. I t i s most abundantly f ound in the S ula p lain ( Joyce 1 983a, 1 983b; Sheehy 1 978; S tone 1 941; S trong, K idder, and Paul 1 938), but drops off dramatically b eyond, b eing rare at L os Naranjos, i n the Comayagua valley ( Baudez 1 966:312; Stone 1 957:32-33), in the Naco valley, and i n c entral S anta B arbara. I t i s absent at Copan ( Glass 1 966:171). O lingo P olychrome at Los Naranjos ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:291-293) may be a l ocal variant o f this t ype. At Los Naranjos, Chichipate Polychrome, which i s g enerally s imilar to U lua-Yojoa polychromes, represents a s ignificant portion o f the Yojoa phase collections, and s ome s herds--perhaps imports--have b een r ecovered f rom n orthern c entral Santa Barbara. Other types i n this system i nclude S ula P olychrome and Tenampua P olychrome which a re y et to be f ormally defined ( see Agurcia and H enderson, this v olume). Chamelecon Polychrome s ystem. This s ystem i s c haracterized by orange s lipped vessels decorated with red a nd black painted d esigns. One of the most p rominent members o f the system i s Gualpopa Polychrome, originally d efined at Chalchuapa in western E l S alvador ( Sharer 1 978:51-52). Gualpopa i s f ound in west-central Honduras in p rimarily hemispherical bowl forms, decorated with animal, g eometric, and g lyphic designs on the exteriors and having p lain i nteriors ( Beaudry 1 983:385). Two t axa i n the Naco a nd Sula regions, Chamelecon Polychrome ( Fig. 2 1) and Chasnigua Red-and-black-on-orange, are l ocal products 3 79

P .A. U rban a nd E .M . S chortman

•

e#

P 'r

A rA er

d o

VESSEL I NTER IORS

0

5CM

1 I I

Fig.

2 1.

Chamelecon

Polychrome.

3 80

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors c losely related t o Gualpopa ( Urban 1 986; M . Beaudry and J . H enderson, personal communication 1 986). These bowls are d ecorated with r ed and b lack naturalistic ( primarily b irds a nd crabs in t he Naco valley) and l inear designs. C hasnigua includes examples o f negative-painted l inear d esigns ( J. Henderson, personal c ommunication 1 984). Gualpopa r epresents a s ignificant proportion o f the L ate C lassic Copan collections ( Viel 1 983:519-520; e nd o f A cbi through Coner; c f. Longyear's Polychrome Ware, S imple B owls, 1 952:58-60, 9 9). Gualpopa's d istribution within the C opan valley i s more restricted to e lite-level residences t han was the c ase with Copador ( Beaudry 1 983:354-355). N evertheless, Gualpopa still outnumbers U lua-Yojoa here and t echnical analyses point to i ts production within the v alley ( ibid.:137). Chasnigua Red-and-black-on-orange s eems t o be f airly c ommon in t he S ula p lain while in the Naco v alley Chamelecon Polychrome i s the only polychrome type d istributed at both e lite and non-elite r esidences. G ualpopa has not been c learly r ecognized in central S anta B arbara while very small amounts o f Chamelecon, probably i mports, have b een recovered. Caterpillar Polychrome i s a Chamelecon system type l ocalized at Copan ( Viel 1 983:519; end of Acbi t hrough C aner; c f Polychrome Large Tripod D ish, Longyear 1 952:100). T his type c onsists primarily o f l arge t ripod p lates with i nterior decoration o f geometric or g lyphic bands and d esigns executed in r ed ( sometimes s pecular hematite) and b lack paint. Caterpillar appears to represent a moderately h igh proportion o f the Copan Late C lassic a ssemblage. Several general interregional patterns c oncerning p olychromes are proposed f or l ater t esting. Copan was c losely l inked to c entral Santa Barbara and western E l S alvador a s e videnced by the c onsiderable amounts o f C opador Polychrome in these areas, which originated in the C opan r egion. T he s pread o f at l east the modes o f s urface t reatment, f orm, and decoration o f Gualpopa l inked Copan w ith western E l S alvador and societies in the Naco and S ula r egions. U lua-Yojoa polychromes were traded i nto Copan, a m ajor recipient but not a manufacturer of this type. The s ources o f these polychromes a re not known and could have b een quite diverse. P resumably different r egions o f w estern and c entral Honduras a lso traded local variants o f U lua-Yojoa polychromes among each other though these c onnections cannot currently be t raced. The Sula p lain may h ave been the c enter of production f or Bold Geometric-withI ncision containers, which were then t raded to c entral S anta Barbara, Lake Yojoa, and the Naco and Comayagua v alleys, but not to Copan. Chichipate Polychrome, possibly m anufactured around Lake Yojoa, was traded west to central S anta Barbara n ear the end of t he L ate C lassic period. It

s eems

c lear

that

the 3 81

regions

of

west-central

P .A . U rban and E .M . S chortman Honduras were l inked i nto c omplex, overlapping e xchange n etworks during the Late C lassic a long which moved d istinctive polychrome vessels and r elated c oncepts. Copan was at the center o f at l east two o f the most widespread o f these networks l inking west-central Honduras with western E l Salvador. This pattern s uggests Copan f illed a r ole a s e xtraregional mediator among s ocieties in west-central Honduras and E l S alvador. Unslipped Vessels Unslipped vessels are a major part o f a ll assemblages, p roviding the bulk of the utilitarian containers employed i n daily activities. This category i s divided i nto two s ystems, Hijol and I otampoco. Hijol system. Forms are necked j ars and open bowls. At Copan, the zoned burnished Hijol C afe type continues i n decreasing frequencies f rom t he E arly C lassic ( Viel 1 983:508), while in northern central S anta Barbara t he nonz oned burnished examples are Chorrera Unslipped: C oropa variety and S abanilla S elf-slipped: S abanilla variety. At Los Naranjos, Mongora Brun appears to c ontain a f ew burnished vessels ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:164-169), and at S anta Rita and L as F lores Bolsa in the Sula p lain " carefully polished" sherds are noted ( Strong, Kidder, and P aul 1 938:40, 4 9, 6 6). Unslipped burnished vessels d o not s eem to have been important in the S ula p lain in t he Late C lassic ( Joyce 1 983b), in the Comayagua valley ( Baudez 1 966), nor in the Naco valley. A lthough representatives of the H ijol s ystem s eem to be more widespread in the Late C lassic than in the Early C lassic, they are not common anwhere. This is p art of a t rend toward decreased e ffort invested in the finishing o f utilitarian vessels which may have begun in t he Preclassic a nd continues through the Early Postclassic in the s tudy z one. No c lear interregional patterns are evident i n the d istribution of burnished types. I otampoco system. The vast majority o f a ll u nslipped vessels f rom a ll parts o f the s tudy area simply have smoothed s urfaces, a nd a re r epresented by many t ypes. Forms are l arge open bowls and j ars with considerable variations in the n eck. Most o f the vessels are undecorated, a lthough s triation and a red wash s ometimes occur. While striated, unslipped j ars are c ommon a t Copan ( Cascada E striado, Viel 1 983), their frequency i n Sula c ollections remains uncertain. No c lear patterns are currently obvious i n the I otampoco system. The Copan and Sula r egions may be l inked by the shared mode of s triated decoration, but Copan i s the only r egion continuing to produce comales with l oop h andles ( in I otampoco Burdo; Viel 1 983:511; cf. Longyear 1 952:91).

3 82

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors S pecial

Ceramics

Of the Late C lassic pottery f rom the study area that d oes not f it i nto any defined systems, those o f greatest i nterest are the infrequent Tepeu-style p olychrome bowls w ith notched b asal moldings ( Longyear 1 952:101) and c ylinders " painted in the middle Motagua s tyle" ( ibid.:30) r ecovered f rom e xcavations in the Copan s ite c ore. These t ypes attest to t he enduring t ies between Copan, the Maya l owlands, and t he middle Motagua d rainage i nvolving polychrome pottery exchange. Red s lipped types that continue to appear i n t he s tudy a rea are not s ufficiently well understood to p lace i nto s ystems at present. Red s lipped vessels a re f airly common a t Copan and i n the Comayagua a nd S ula valleys, l ess f requent in c entral S anta Barbara and on the north s hore o f L ake Yojoa, and a re not r ecorded f rom the L ate C lassic Naco v alley.

CONCLUSIONS We now return to our i nitial questions, the f irst of which was the broadest: " To what extent i s Copan, c eramically, a west-central Honduran s ite?" The vast majority o f E arly and Late C lassic Copan pottery bears s trong r esemblances to c ontemporary ceramics f rom western a nd central Honduras. Excluding polychromes, Copan shares 1 1 of the Early a nd Late C lassic s ystems w ith i ts e astern n eighbors. Together, the c eramics f rom these s hared s ystems r epresent t he majority o f a ll p ottery f rom C lassic p eriod Copan deposits. Only a very minor proportion o f C lassic pottery a t Copan shows c lear t ies w ith other, more " Maya," z ones to t he west. A ll of this s trongly s uggests t hat underneath t he imposing monuments to C opan's Maya s tatus--hieroglyphic inscriptions, stelae, s tructure f orms, a nd the l ike--is a ceramically n on-Maya, west-central H onduran s ite. More t entatively, these data l ead to the h ypothesis that h owever Copan c ame by i ts Maya trappings i n t he Early C lassic, the change did not i nvolve a massive p opulation r eplacement. Copan r emained throughout the C lassic t ied quite c losely to western and c entral Honduran i nteraction systems as a ttested in t he q uotidian ceramics o f i ts residents. The s econd question we r aised, " What i nsights does p ottery provide i nto the p atterns o f Copan's i nteraction w ith specific r egions?", i s harder to answer. On the basis o f our earlier a ssumption that the more s imilar the c eramics o f t wo regions, t he more i ntense their i nteractions, we will u se the distribution o f ceramic s ystems to phrase a hypothetical answer. The greater the n umber o f ceramic s ystems two r egions s hare, the c loser t heir presumed l evels o f c ommunication. I f two r egions 3 83

P. A. U rban a nd E. M . S chor t man b oth l ack r epresentatives o f a s ystem, this may a lso g ive e vidence, a lbeit n egative, o f c eramic s imilarities. These d ata w ill a lso be t aken i nto a ccount i n determining t he d egree o f i nterregional c eramic c ommonality. T he known d istributions are s ummarized i n Tables 1 a nd 2 . H ere, t he r egions i n question a re l isted on t he l eft a nd the s ystems a re a rranged across t he t op. G iven t he a bsence o f f irm f igures t hat would p ermit t he c alculation o f the r elative abundance o f t ypes w ithin t he a ssemblages o f d ifferent r egions, t he l ocal importance o f a s ystem i s s ubjectively e stimated. Two r egions p ossess a c ommonality when they s hare t he s ame s ystem i n r oughly t he same a mounts o r both l ack that s ystem. A " ceramic c ommonality" i s, t herefore, a c rude measure o f c eramic s imilarity b ased o n t he d istribution o f p ottery s ystems. I n t he E arly C lassic ( Table 1 ), C opan and c entral S anta B arbara e xhibit 8 c eramic c ommonalities o f a t otal o f 1 2 c omparisons. T he S ula p lain s hares 6 c eramic c ommonalities with Copan while Los N aranjos s hares 3 a nd N aco 5 . This s uggests t hat t he r esidents of t he Copan v alley and the middle drainage o f t he R io U lua w ere i n c lose i ntercommunication d uring t he E arly C lassic e ra a nd f orm a d istinct i nterregional i nteraction n etwork. N evertheless, c ontacts--as r epresented by c eramic c ommonalities--were a lso maintained w ith the Naco a nd Sula v alleys and, t o a l esser extent, w ith the north s hore o f L ake Yojoa. With the exception o f t he c entral S anta Barbara-Copan i nterregional s imilarities, no o ther c lear p atterns c an b e s een i n the t able. The number o f c eramic commonalities among r egions v aries f rom three t o s ix, s uggesting a n e xtensive, i f not p articularly i ntensive, pattern o f i nterregional c ontacts. I nteractions appear to h ave been d iffuse, r esulting i n a p attern o f general c eramic s imilarity t hroughout t he s tudy z one. T he L ate C lassic period ( Table 2 ) witnesses the g radual d iminution o f t he L upo, B ob , a nd Loma Larga s ystems f rom the preceding p eriod t o the point where the r epresentative t ypes o f e ach a re f ound i n but a s ingle r egion. We h ave chosen t o i gnore t hese s ystems i n t he f ollowing d iscussion on t he a ssumption t hat t heir i nclusion may a rtificially i ncrease the impression o f s imilarity among o therwise d istinct r egions b ased s olely on t he c ommon a bsence o f a really r estricted types. T he c lose l inks b etween t he B arbara r egions p ersist i nto t he r egions c ontinue t o s hare a t otal a p ossible 1 0. L os Naranjos a nd s hare 7 c eramic c ommonalities, i nterregional i nteraction n etwork 3 84

Copan a nd c entral S anta L ate C lassic. T hese t wo o f 8 commonalities o ut o f t he C omayagua valley now s uggesting that a s econd may b e represented here.

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors Table 1 . D istribution

1

Copan C SB LN Naco S P

+ + + 0 +

Early C lassic Interregional ( Polychromes Excluded)*

2

0 0 + 0 ?

3

+ + ?

4

5

0 0

+ ?

+ ?

+ 0 + 0 ?

* The I otampoco d istribution did s tudied regions.

Table 2 . Late D istribution**

Copan C SB L N Naco S P COM

1 -

2 0 0

+

+

0

0

-

0 ? 0 ?

3 + + -

SYSTEM 6 7

+ +

+ ? +

+ + ?

0 +

system was not show

C lassic

4 +

+

?

5 + + 0 + +

?

0 ?

0 ?

0

8

9

+

0

Ceramic

System

1 0

0

not included here because its s ignificant variation among

I nterregional

SYSTEM 6 7 0 0 + +

0

0

+ ?

8 ? 0

9 + +

o o o o

-

Ceramic

1 0 0

1 1

o 0

o o

0

System

1 3

0 0 0 0

1 4

0 0 0

* * Polychromes a re excluded, and unslipped vessels were n ot included because there were no s ignificant i nterregional patterns observed in their distributions.

K ey to

Tables

S ystem S ystem S ystem S ystem S ystem S ystem S ystem

1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 :

1 and

2

Sumpul Bolo Chilanga Chasnigua Chinacla Magdalena Chinda

System System System System System System System

C SB: Central S anta Barbara; p lain; COM: Comayagua. + 0 ?

major portion o f minor portion o f absent uncertain

a ssemblages assemblages

3 85

LN:

8 : 9 : 1 0: 1 1: 1 2: 1 3: 1 4:

Los

Lupo Masica Loma Larga Cancique H ijol Ardilla Besal

Naranjos;

SP:

Sula

P .A . Urban and E .M . S chortman

B eyond t hese p atterns, n o c lear i nteraction systems a re p resently e vident. I t i s o f s ome n ote, h owever, t hat t he N aco and S ula valleys, which h ad h eretofore s hared o nly 3 c ommonalities, n ow possess 6 . T his s udden upswing i n c eramic s imilarity may point t o i ncreased c ontact b etween t he two a reas a nd t he d evelopment o f a d istinct i nteraction s ystem. I n s um, two--possibly three--interregional i nteraction n etworks c rystallized d uring t he Late C lassic o ut o f the d iffuse pattern o f c ontact t hat characterized t he p receding e ra. C ontact among r egions i ncorporated i n d ifferent n etworks c ontinued w ith 1 1 o f the dyadic r egion p airs e xhibiting 3 -6 c eramic c ommonalities. Nevertheless, c eramic d issimilarities were a lso i ncreasing: 4 p airs o f r egions s hared o nly 1 -2 c ommonalities. This p attern s uggests a t rend f rom t he E arly t o L ate C lassic o f i ncreasing r estriction o f c ontact w ithin s pecific i nterregional n etworks. A lthough i t i s beyond t he bounds of t his p aper t o c onsider d ata o ther t han c eramics, a r ecent r econstruction o f L ate C lassic i nteraction n etworks within west-central H onduras, i ncluding C opan, c onfirmed s trong l inks b etween C opan and S anta B arbara ( Urban a nd S chortman, in • press). This s tudy, which t ook i nto account a rchitecture, s ite p lanning, and various artifact c ategories, a lso s uggested t he e xistence o f t wo other i nteraction s ystems l inking the L ake Y ojoa-Comayagua and Sula-Naco r egions respectively. T he p resent c eramic d ata s eem t o s upport this r econstruction. T he s ignificance o f t he d istribution o f L ate C lassic p olychrome p ottery i s l ess c lear a nd, a s n oted e arlier, s uggests a c omplex p attern o f i nterregional interaction. T able 3 s ummarizes t hese data. C opan a nd c entral S anta B arbara a re l inked b y the e astward e xchange o f C opador P olychrome. C opan i s t ied w ith t he Naco a nd S ula p lains b y the s pread o f i deas o f d ecoration, s urface t reatment, a nd v essel f orm related to t he Chamelecon s ystem among t hese a reas. No a ctual e xchanges o f vessels are i ndicated i n t his l atter c ase, h owever, a s opposed t o the s ituation w ith Copador. U luaY ojoa P olychromes apparently c ame i nto t he Copan valley via t rade t hough t heir s ources a re not known. B old Geometricw ith-incision a nd C hichipate p olychromes traveled b y t heir own exchange s ystems f rom the S ula p lain and L os Naranjos, r espectively. These s ystems d id n ot i nclude C opan, h owever. P olychrome s ystem d istributions s uggest that C opan m aintained extensive c ontacts w ith a diverse a rray o f s outheast periphery r egions. H ow d irect a nd persistent t hese l inks w ere r emains t o be determined. T he f inal question we w ish t o p ose i s, "What was C opan's r ole i n i ntegrating western a nd c entral H onduran s ocieties within l arger s cale i nteraction networks?" The 3 86

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors Table 3 . Late D istributions

C lassic Polychrome

S ystem 1 a Copan Central S anta Barbara Los Naranjos Naco valley S ula plain Comayagua valley

S ystem S ystem

1 : 2 :

S ystem

3 :

a

System

System 2 b c

System 3 a b

0

+

o

_

-

0 ?

-

+ -

+ 0 0 0 ?

0 0 0 ? 0

0 + + 0

+

+

0

+

+ + + +

-

I nterregional

Copador Polychrome, l a: Copador P olychrome U lua-Yojoa Polychrome, 2 a: U lua-Yojoa; 2 b: Bold Geometric with I ncision; 2 c: Chichipate Chamelecon Polychrome, 3 a: Gualpopa; 3 b: Char nelecon/Chasnigua

Note: Only polychromes f ound in more than one i ncluded here. S ee k ey to tables 1 a nd 2 f or

r egion were s ymbols.

w idespread distribution o f I zalco U sulutan pottery t hroughout the s tudy area in t he Early C lassic s uggests a l ink with adjacent portions o f E l S alvador a nd Guatemala, where this ceramic i s a lso found. I t i s o f some i nterest t o note t hat Copan, e specially early i n the period, h as one o f the l argest c oncentrations and greatest diversity of f orms of I zalco U sulutan pottery within t he s tudy z one. We p ropose that the residents o f Copan i n the Early C lassic p layed a s ignificant role in the mega-system o f i nteraction r eflected i n t he distribution o f I zalco U sulutan. Apparently this r ole began in t he Late P reclassic when C opan had one o f t he highest proportions of t his c eramic of a ny s ite outside o f E l S alvador ( Longyear 1 952). Copan's c lose t ies during the Late C lassic with s ocieties in western E l S alvador are a ttested by the a forementioned polychrome distributions. B oth Copador and G ualpopa are f ound in l arge amounts at Chalchuapa ( Sharer 1 978) a nd strongly point to c lose l inks. This i s e specially t rue f or Copador, whose manufacture was monopolized by Copan valley residents ( Beaudry 1 983; B ishop e t a l. 1 986). The distribution o f Arambala a lso j oins t hese two z ones ( Sharer 1 978). The postulated f ocal role for Copan's residents i n l arge s cale i nteraction systems i s s upported by the r ecovery o f vessels here that were imported f rom t he Maya l owlands and middle Motagua d rainage ( polychromes and s pecial ceramics). No other excavated s ite i n the s tudy 3 87

P .A . U rban a nd E .M . S choL t i ian a rea h as p roduced t his diversity o f f oreign or f oreigni nspired p ottery. I nterestingly, t he number o f v essels c oming f rom t he Maya l owlands to Copan w as r elatively s mall. O n the basis o f present c eramic evidence a lone, C opan's r esidents appear t o have maintained s tronger t ies w ith non-Maya a reas outside the s tudy z one t han with their M aya n eighbors. T his v iew i s d irectly opposed to e vidence f or M aya contacts i n other data c ategories, e .g., s culpture, h ieroglyphics, a nd a rchitecture. The s ignificance o f t his d ichotomy i s unclear, b ut it p oints up t he t ruism t hat o ne c lass o f d ata d oes n ot t ell t he whole s tory i n r econstructing ancient behaviors a nd t ies. O n t he basis o f t he d ata r eviewed i n this s tudy, we s uggest the f ollowing i nteraction model. Throughout the C lassic e ra C opan a nd c entral S anta B arbara r esidents f ormed a d istinct west-central Honduran i nteraction s ystem. D uring t he E arly C lassic no o ther n etworks a re discernible a nd t he p attern o f i nterregional contacts was d iffuse. The L ate C lassic s aw t he f ormation o f t he L os N aranjosC omayagua a nd, possibly, S ula-Naco i nteraction systems. I n t his way, i ndividual r egions w ere t ied i nto l arger i nterregional n etworks w ithin which i nteraction was f airly i ntense a nd b etween which r elations w ere l ess f requent. T hese networks, i n t urn, were l inked i nto a l arger c ommunication s ystem i ncluding s ocieties i n a djacent G uatemala, B elize, and e specially E l S alvador, t hrough i ntermediaries a t C opan. Copan's r esidents f unctioned a s c rucial middlemen i n t his c omplex m ulti-regional i nteraction n et. There i s c urrently s ome uncertainty a s to how Copan a chieved i ts C lassic M aya s tatus, whether by d irect i mposition o f a f oreign e lite or l ocal adoption o f a lien f orms ( Leventhal et a l. 1 982). Whatever t he c ase, C opan's p reeminence i n t he E arly C lassic m ust have b een d ue i n l arge part t o t he role i ts r esidents p layed i n systems o f i nterregional i nteraction. Copan, i n s hort, may be s een a s a w est-central H onduran s ite, l ike i ts " non-Maya" n eighbors, whose s trategic position i n i nteraction s ystems p rovided t he impetus t o i ts u nparalleled s ocio-political d evelopments. C learly what we h ave p resented i s a hypothesis f ounded o n a n arrow d ata b ase ( ceramics) which i s i tself i ncomplete. This v iew must b e t ested a gainst a wider r ange o f d ata a lready i n hand, i ncluding u npublished c eramic a nalyses, s ettlement patterns, a rchitecture, s ite p lanning, a nd other a rtifact c lasses, a long w ith data yet t o be c ollected f rom u ninvestigated o r only partially i nvestigated r egions. T he l ast w ork i s particularly i mportant b ecause o f the many s patial g aps i n o ur knowledge o f this p ortion o f t he s outheast Maya periphery. R egardless, i t i s c lear f rom t his s tudy that developments i n w est-central H onduras cannot be v iewed i n i solation. 3 88

C opan a nd i ts N eighbors A ll of the societies of the area were p art o f regional, interregional, a nd l arger i nteraction s ystems. Ceramics provide one important tool in reconstructing these s ystems. I t r emains f or u s to both expand our definitions o f interregional networks and, most importantly, develop the theoretical c onstructs that will a llow u s to understand their functioning.

Acknowledgments The present p aper owes a great d eal to our colleagues in s outheast p eriphery archaeology, even though they may not ultimately a gree with our conclusions. We would l ike to express our heartfelt thanks to Drs. John H enderson and Rene Viel f or a llowing us a ccess to t heir t ype c ollections during the period when we were making direct ceramic comparisons in Honduras. L ic. R icardo Agurcia F ., G erente of the I nstituto Hondureno de Antropologia e H istoria ( IHAH), and the s taff of this institution, greatly h elped our study by g iving us access to ceramic c ollections currently s tored i n I HAH f acilities. We a lso wish to express our appreciation to the above i ndividuals and Marilyn Beaudry, William Fash, Andrea Gerstle, G eorge Hasemann, Rosemary J oyce, Nedenia K ennedy, Thomas Murray, Eugenia Robinson, and Sylvia Smith for the generous way they have shared t heir important d ata with us both i n t he f orm o f publications and l ong, enjoyable i nformal conversations. R obert Sharer has guided our archaeological training i n general, and our ceramic s tudies i n p articular, and we are very much i ndebted to h im f or h is h elp and patience. We wish to thank Prudence R ice and Bob S harer f or i nviting us t o the original Maya Ceramic Conference and the participants a t that conference f or their many helpful s uggestions. B ob and P ru a lso provided e ditorial suggestions that have greatly improved the manuscript. Carl Beetz's d raftsmanship i s evident i n t he accompanying i llustrations while Sharon Duchesne provided i nvaluable h elp in typing various drafts of the manuscript. F inally, we call attention to the importance o f the 1 985 and 1 986 Honduran C eramics Conferences o rganized and d irected by Ricardo Agurcia and Marilyn Beaudry. The f ruitful and professional d iscussions that o ccurred at the s essions among the representatives o f d ifferent projects f orm the very keystone o f t his paper and point t he d irection toward f uture i nvestigations. Needless to s ay, a ll errors and l apses o f l ogic a nd good t aste c ontained within this paper a re solely our r esponsibility.

3 89

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W ., AND D . WEBSTER ( compilers) " The C opan Project: Phase I I: The First Three Years--Annual Reports, 1 981-1983," ms., archives of t he Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia, Tegucigalpa.

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at P laya de l os Muertos, Maya Research 1 : 6 1-81.

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S CHORTMAN, E ., P . URBAN, AND W . ASHMORE 1 983 " The S anta Barbara Archaeological Project: 1 983 Season," ms., archives of the I nstituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia, Tegucigalpa. S CHORTMAN, E ., P . URBAN, W . ASHMORE, J . WEEKS, J . BENYO, S . SMITH, N .BLACK, S . SPEAKER, AND T . MELCHIONNE 1 985 " Santa Barbara Archaeological Project, 1 985 Season," ms., archives of the I nstituto Hondureno de Antropologia e H istoria, Tegucigalpa. S TRONG, 1 938

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URBAN,

P . " Systems of S ettlement Northwestern Honduras," o f Pennsylvania.

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AND E . SCHORTMAN " Ceramics From the S ites of E l Nisero and La Mariposa, Honduras," Ms., i n preparation for i nclusion i n the f inal monographs on the Santa Barbara Archaeological Project.

R . " Evolucion de l a Ceramica en Copan: Resultados Preliminares," in I ntroduccion a l a Arqueologia de Copan, Honduras, ed. C , Baudez, pp. 4 73-543. ( Tegucigalpa: Secretaria de Estado en e l Despacho de Cultura y Turismo).

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G ., AND R . LEVENTHAL " Prehistoric Settlement at Copan," i n Maya Archaeology and Ethnohistory, eds. N . Hammond and G . Willey, pp. 7 5-102. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

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G ., T . CULBERT, AND R . ADAMS "Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Report Guatemala C ity 3 2: 2 89-315.

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WONDERLEY, A . 1 981 " Late Postclassic Occupation at Naco, Honduras," Latin American Studies Dissertation Series, 8 6. ( Ithaca: Cornell University). 1 983

" Test Excavations of the Naco ( Late Postclassic) Phase," in Archaeology in Northwestern Honduras: I nterim Reports of the P royecto Argueologico Sula, Vol. 1 ., ed. J . H enderson, pp. 4 -66. I ntercollege Program i n Archaeology ( Ithaca: Cornell University). 3 94

Copan a nd its N eighbors

WONDERLEY, A ., AND P . CAPUTI 1 984 " 1983 Archaeological Investigations at Rio Pelo ( YR 1 25), Sula P lain, Northwestern Honduras," Ms., Archives of the Antropologia e Historia, YDE, 1 938

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de

J . An

Archaeological

Reconnaissance

of

Northwestern

Honduras. Middle American Research Institute Publication 9 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

3 95

1 6 T he T erm ina l C lass ic C eram ics o f C erro P a lenque , H onduras : AS ou theas tern Ou t l ier o f t he B oca C eram ic S phere R osemary A . J oyce

Fine o range p aste c eramics were t he p redominant s erving vessel s ubcomplex i n t he l arge Terminal C lassic zone o f t he s ite o f Cerro P alenque, i n the U lua valley o f northwest Honduras ( Fig. 1 ; J oyce 1 985a). I n t he U lua valley, f ine o range c eramics had p reviously been r eported f rom the s ite o f S anta R ita, where they were misidentified as examples o f Early P ostclassic S ilho ( X) F ine O range ( Glass 1 966), a nd f rom t he s ite o f T ravesia, where they were c orrectly a ligned w ith t he A ltar F ine Orange g roup ( Sheehy 1 978, 1 982). The s ize o f t he c ollections excavated at Cerro Palenque a nd the excavation o f a n umber of contexts c ontaining r estorable whole v essels a llowed the detailed d efinition o f t he Terminal C lassic c eramic complex, providing a b asis f or evaluating i ts r elationship with the c ontemporary c eramics o f the Maya l owlands. The f ine p aste s erving vessels of Terminal C lassic Cerro P alenque a re r elated to, b ut not i dentical with, types o f t he A ltar F ine Orange g roup o f t he Boca c eramic s phere ( Adams 1 971:104-106, 1 32-134; S abloff 1 975:32, 1 742 28; Willey e t a l. 1 967). The U lua valley f ine p aste c eramics h ave a more r estricted r ange o f f orms, a nd decorative t echniques employed a re l imited. I ncised and s tamped decorated f ine p aste c eramics l ack t he c onfrontation s cenes typical o f t he A ltar F ine O range g roup P abellon Modeled-carved type ( Sabloff 1 975:195-198), t o which they a re most c omparable. While t he absence o f a s lip i s r arely noted i n A ltar F ine O range ( Sabloff 1 975:32; R . Smith 1 971:18-19), t he U lua valley f ine paste c eramics typically l ack a c ontrasting s lip. These d ifferences s uggest l ocal manufacture f ollowing the p attern o f the A ltar F ine O range group. A s imilar s ituation i s s uggested by s piked c enser f orms c omparable to Miseria Applique g roup ( Sabloff 1 975:174-179) o f the B oca c eramic s phere. H owever, 3 97

R osemary A .

A 00 7m . .

J oyce

..

U lua c 0

V a l ley

=m i mm i 5 1 0 km

i

F ig. 1 . The U lua valley and s ites mentioned in ( a) Cerro Palenque, ( b) Travesia, ( c) Curruste, R ita. 3 98

the ( e)

text: Santa

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque unslipped, r ed s lipped, and r ed painted j ars a nd basins o f the U lua valley T erminal C lassic continue l ong e stablished Honduran t raditions. While s light modal s hifts i n t his domestic s ubcomplex c an a lso b e t raced to l owland Maya c eramic c omplexes, the much l ess marked degree o f external i nfluence on t hese f orms r einforces the i nterpretation o f i nteraction b etween the western Maya l owlands a nd t he U lua valley i n the T erminal C lassic a s l imited. The s ucceeding s ections d iscuss the n ature o f t he c eramic evidence f or i nteraction between t he Maya l owlands and the U lua v alley at the end o f t he C lassic p eriod, b efore r eturning to a consideration o f t he n ature o f those i nteractions.

CERRO PALENQUE Cerro P alenque i s a 2 40 m h igh rounded l imestone h ill i n t he s outhwest U lua valley, l ocated at t he c onfluence o f t he U lua and C omayagua r ivers and the R io B lanco which originates n ear L ake Yojoa ( Fig. 2 ). On t he b asis o f unpublished e xcavations by Dorothy P openoe, S tone ( 1940:391, 1 941:57-58) described the s ite a s an E arly P ostclassic h illtop f ortress, l acking r esources f or p ermanent habitation, with architectural t ies to t he L ate C lassic U lua v alley c enter o f Travesia. A s part o f the P royecto A rqueologico S ula o f t he I nstituto H ondureno d e Antropologia e H istoria, i n 1 980 I d irected s urvey i n the l ow, open h ills that extend n orth f rom the peak o f C erro P alenque, between t he modern towns o f S antiago, P imienta, and El P lan, a nd completed s urvey and mapping o f s ites i n t his a rea i n 1 981. The majority o f cultural r emains, c oncentrated i n t he f our s q. km a rea immediately n orth o f t he peak o f C erro P alenque, i ncluded S tone's C erro P alenque ( designated CR 4 4) on the p eak o f t he h ill, c omposed o f 5 g roups o f structures including a p robable r eservoir. Lying to t he north, at e levations 6 0 to 1 00 m l ower, w as t he much l arger s ite CR 1 57, with approximately 5 00 mapped s tructures and f eatures covering 2 4 h a. In 1 982 and 1 983 I c onducted excavations i n the C erro P alenque a rchaeological z one, confirming t hat CR 4 4 was c ontemporary w ith t he s ite o f Travesia a nd r elated t o i t i n architecture, s culpture, and c eramics ( Joyce 1 985a). C R 1 57, contrasting i n architecture, l ithics, and c eramics w ith both CR 4 4 and Travesia, was a unique T erminal C lassic public c enter. The main p laza o f CR 1 57, 1 50 m by 3 00 m , i s t wice the s ize o f other major C lassic p eriod U lua valley s ites s uch a s Travesia, Curruste, and Q uebrada E ncantada ( Stone 1 941: F ig. 4 8; H asemann, Van G erpen, and V eliz 1 977: F ig. 3 ; Gordon 1 898: F ig. 3 ). A b allcourt with a lley, 1 1 m w ide a nd with benches 3 9 m l ong, i s o riented n orth-south a nd occupies the s outhwest c orner o f the major p laza. Associated w ith this major c enter a re 1 03 patioc entered r esidential groups i n 5 1 c lusters ( Joyce 1 985a:931 24). 3 99

R osemary A .

J oyce

F ig. 2 . The Cerro Palenque s ite z one. Major features of C erro Palenque: ( a) Late C lassic c enter CR 4 4; ( b) T erminal C lassic minor c enters CR 1 70, and ( i) CR 1 71; ( c) Terminal C lassic center CR 1 57, ballcourt and ( f) n orth edge o f z one of monumental architecture; ( d,e,h,j) CR 1 57 residential groups excavated. 4 00

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque Excavation i n patio g roups and major p lazas o f t he two c enters w ithin t he C erro P alenque s ite z one p roduced c eramics f rom a number o f c ontexts. T he r elative chronological p lacement o f C erro P alenque materials was b ased on a c eramic s equence ( Joyce 1 983a, 1 985a:476-523) f or the C hamelecon p eriod ( Late F ormative t o . Early C lassic) a nd U lua p eriod ( Late t o T erminal C lassic) d erived f rom e xamination o f s tratified c eramics excavated a t T ravesia ( Joyce 1 983b) a nd a long t he U lua R iver ( Pope 1 985). While a d etailed d iscussion o f c eramic c omplexes prior to t he T erminal C lassic i s b eyond t he s cope o f t his paper, an outline o f t he n ature o f e arlier c eramic c omplexes i s e ssential b ackground f or understanding the Terminal C lassic c eramics o f the s ite.

C ERAMIC S EQUENCE Chamelecon p eriod c eramics a re d istinguished by a high proportion o f o range s lipped bowl a nd j ar f orms w ith U sulutan t echnique r esist decoration. I n t he e arly l ots, these b owls h ave s mall s olid nubbin f eet a nd r elatively s imple r ims. L ater C hamelecon l ots add hollow mammiform s upports a nd i ncised, everted r ims. O ther minor s urface t reatments o n C hamelecon p eriod bowls are b lack s lip w ith i ncised d ecoration, o r r ed s lip. I n t he l atest p art o f t he Chamelecon p eriod, b owl a nd vase f orms w ith o range s lip and U sulutan d ecoration a nd additional r ed p ainted g eometric d esigns a re a dded. C hamelecon p eriod j ars a lso i nclude unslipped, l arge c ollared j ars; burnished j ars w ith r ed bolstered r ims and outflaring n ecks i ncised with s ets o f d iagonal l ines ( not p resent i n t he e arly Chamelecon p eriod l ots); a nd n eckless j ars w ith z oned p unctated a nd r ed p ainted d ecoration, a pplique f illets, o r ( in t he l atest C hamelecon p eriod l ots) r ed l ip b ands, and white washed upper b odies d ecorated i n s ets o f a lternating i ncised d iagonal l ines bounded by punctated l ines. The c haracteristics o f t he Chamelecon p eriod i nclude t hose d escribed f or t he U lua B ichrome c omplex a t S anta R ita ( Strong, K idder, a nd P aul 1 938:61-62, 1 19, 1 22). T he c omplex i s comparable t o E den p eriod a t L os N aranjos ( Baudez a nd B ecquelin 1 973:103-105), a nd c orresponds to C habij a nd B ijac c omplexes o f C opan ( Viel 1 983:535-536). L ike t hese H onduran c omplexes, Chamelecon c eramics i nclude a nalogues to t he I zalco ( Usulutan d ecorated), G uaymango ( zoned decorated), a nd P inos ( black s lipped) c eramic g roups o f t he C aynac a nd Vec phases o f Chalchuapa ( Sharer 1 978:36-38, 3 9-41, 2 7-28, 1 09-110). The r ed p ainted, U sulutan d ecorated, o range s lipped c eramics a re c omparable t o the Chilanga g roup o f Chalchuapa, where t hey b egin i n V ec phase and wane i n X occo phase ( Sharer 1 978:47, 1 06). T he Chilanga o f C opan r eportedly begins l ater, i n early A cbi, b ut t he r ed p ainted motif o f B ijac c omplex t ype 4 01

R osemary A . J oyce P rospero R ed-on-beige i s i dentical t o t hat o f t he U lua v alley t ype ( Viel 1 983:508, 5 17-518, F ig. Y -13d). An e arly date f or t he i nitial C hamelecon p eriod i s s upported b y t he p resence o f types r elated t o Chalchuapa's G uaymango g roup, which s urvives only i nto t he e arly half o f Caynac p hase ( Sharer 1 978:27-28). On t he whole, the evidence s upports c ross-dating o f t he e arly Chamelecon p hase with C habij a nd B ijac o f C opan, a nd w ith C aynac a nd Vec o f C halchuapa, o r b etween 1 50 B C a nd AD 4 00. The b eginning o f U lua p eriod i s m arked by t he d evelopment o f U lua P olychromes, s pecifically those l abelled Dedalos c lass a nd B andeja s ubclass by Viel ( 1978:171-180). These e arly U lua P olychromes i nclude c omplex v ase f orms w ithout s upports and t etrapod p lates and d ishes. I nteriors h ave b right r ed bands or vertical " counter" motifs, a s w ell a s o ther l ess s tandardized d esigns. Exterior d esign motifs i nclude s eries o f b lack o r r ed l ine g lyphs, h uman heads, o r profiled l ong-nosed monster ( "Chac") masks i n b ands, a nd h uman f igures with e laborate c ostumes and h eaddresses a s main f igures. P lates a nd d ishes o ften h ave a guilloche o r braid below a s eries o f c ounters, w ith a s ingle c entral a nimal o r human f igure. T hese i nitial U lua P olychromes d evelop i nto the S anta R ita c lass ( Viel 1 978:181-202), which corresponds to t he M ayoid U lua P olychromes o f S trong, K idder, a nd P aul ( 1938), G lass ( 1966), and S tone ( 1957). These e arly U lua P olychromes a ccompany c eramics l ike t hose o f the l atest C hamelecon p eriod l ots. T hese i nclude the l ocal a nalogue t o Chilanga g roup a nd t he n eckless, r ed r immed j ars w ith white w ashed, i ncised n ecks. I n a ddition, t all f laring n ecked j ars with s imilar r ed p ainted a nd i ncised s urface t reatment, o r unslipped, b urnished s urface t reatment, a ccompany e arly U lua P olychromes. Large a reas o f r ed d esign i n r eserve on the b ody, a nd i ncised n ecks ( often white w ashed) with s eries o f v ertical, wavy, a nd s traight l ightly i ncised l ines ( combed), quickly b ecome s tandard o n the n ecked, r edp ainted, i ncised j ars. These c eramics a re d issimilar t o c ontemporary c omplexes f rom o ther p arts o f t he s outheastern periphery, e xcept i n v ery b road o utline. T he Acbi c omplex o f Copan h as r ed on n atural l inear d ecoration o n j ars, a s does Eden I I o f L os N aranjos ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:103, 2 352 40; V iel 1 983:536-538). H owever, s pecific vessel forms a nd d esigns d iffer s ubstantially, a nd l ack the additional i ncised a nd a pplique d ecoration o f U lua t ypes. S upport f or a n Acbi e quivalent d ate f or t he i nitial U lua P olychromes may be p rovided by t he p resence o f a very f ew e xamples o f U lua Polychrome c ylinder v ases w ith horizontal r ed b ands below t he l ip a nd above t he b ase, a nd d iagonal r ed b ands between t hese. T he d esign f ields were decorated i n r esist i n s everal l ooted e xamples I o bserved i n the 4 02

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque U lua valley. An e xample in the H arvard U niversity Peabody Museum collections f rom S anta R ita has a positive polychrome d esign, and another f rom the U lua valley has the negative painted t reatment. The band s tructure, and e specially the u se o f r esist, recalls the Acbi type Sovedeso o f Copan ( Viel 1 983:517, F ig. Y-14g). C ombincised l ines c ombined with red painted d ecoration begin l ate in Acbi a t C opan with the type Reina I ncised, and continue throughout the s ucceeding C oner phase. The s ame kind of d ecoration i s c haracteristic of the Yojoa phase type Masica I ncised o f Los Naranjos, which the s tratigraphic c hart indicates begins i n l ate Eden I I phase ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973:296-299, Table 4 ). An approximate p lacement f or the f irst part o f the U lua period b ased o n t hese c ross-ties would be b etween AD 4 00 and 6 50. Later U lua P olychromes, s tratigraphically distinct, belong to the T ravesia c lass o f Viel ( 1978:219-228). T ravesia polychromes, primarily h emispherical bowls, f eature g eometric bands including s tep f ret and s tepped pyramid motifs over profile b lack or f rontal white monkeys. They a re a ccompanied by s ome hemispherical bowls w ith red-on-orange narrow l ine designs i ncluding profile s ilhouette monkeys. These a re c lose parallels to the X occo phase t ype S uquiapa Red-on-orange o f Chalchuapa ( Sharer 1 978:50-51). Unslipped f laring n ecked j ars c ontinue, with g reater standardization o f the two e ffigyd ecorated vertical s trap handles. R ed p ainted and i ncised j ars have f laring necks w ith everted r ims, or vertical, f langed n ecks. The orientation o f f ine multiple-line i ncision on t he n ecks o f these j ars becomes horizontal, more c omparable to Masica, Reina, a nd C ruz I ncised types o f Copan and L os Naranjos than t he e arlier vertical o rientation ( Baudez and Becquelin 1 973:298; V iel 1 983:522, 5 25). The u se o f monkey motifs on h emispherical b owls s uggests comparison with the Gualpopa and Copador p olychrome b owls o f Copan and Chalchuapa o f the Coner ( AD 7 00-850) and l ate Xocco to P ayu ( AD 6 00-850) phases ( Sharer 1 978:51-52, 5 3-56; Viel 1 983:519-522, 5 38). T ravesia c lass polychromes a lso c orrespond to Mac phase p olychromes o f A ltun Ha ( AD 5 50-650; P endergast 1 979). These c orrespondences include t he presence o f three groups w ith g eometric melon, geometric l attice, and profile b lack monkey themes i n both Travesia c lass and Mac phase ( Sheptak 1 985). V iel ( 1978:277-286) p laced Travesia c lass o f the U lua P olychromes f rom the m id-seventh to mid-eighth c enturies, a nd I suggest a date between AD 6 50 and 7 50 for these c eramics. The continue include

l atest U lua Polychromes f rom the U lua valley s ome motifs and f orms o f Travesia c lass, but the a ddition o f S antana c lass polychrome cylinders 4 03

Rosemary A . J oyce ( Viel 1 978:246-250). Both bowls a nd cylinders may have i nterior b lack bands. S antana polychromes, mostly cylinders, have a s ingle geometric or g lyphic band over detailed h uman f igural s cenes, j aguars, serpents, a nd s erpents emerging f rom shells, most i n reserve on a black ground. Comparison b etween these p olychromes and Tepeu 2 ( AD 7 00-830) cylinders has o ften been made ( Glass 1 966; Robinson 1 978). The b lack background a nd s ingle band construction r ecall polychromes o f Kankin phase a t Altun Ha ( ca. AD 6 50-750, Pendergast 1 979; Sheptak 1 985). Both unslipped, f laring n ecked j ars, a nd r ed s lipped, tall necked, everted r im j ars continue. Red painted, c omplex l inear designs replace the i ncising on the neck o f these j ars i n t he s outhwest and c entral valley. At Cerro Palenque, r ed p ainted horizontal wavy l ine designs mimic the earlier i ncised designs. An e nd date no earlier than AD 8 30 f or this phase i s provided by the i ntroduction o f F ine P aste c eramics a llied to A ltar F ine Orange g roup i n the s ucceeding T erminal C lassic c eramic complex. The l argest s ample o f Terminal C lassic c eramics studied comes f rom t he Cerro P alenque s ite z one.

TERMINAL CLASSIC CERAMICS OF CERRO PALENQUE The

S ample

Excavations i n t he Terminal C lassic z one o f Cerro Palenque were a imed primarily at i nvestigating features of r esidential groups. The majority o f t he c eramics from t hese excavations c ame f rom two k inds o f contexts: g eneral l ots i ncluding overburden and f all f rom architecture; and l arger, apparently s ingle episode d eposits o f ceramics, l ithics, a nd other materials. These trash concentrations had well defined a rchitectural associations. Four o f the s ix trash c oncentrations i dentified w ere l ocated on the s ummit o f s ubstructural p latforms, outside t he l ow c obble wall b ases o f t he s tructure, o n t he s ide away from the p atio and doorways. The s tructure w alls i n these c ases d efined rooms w ithout built-in benches, but which in walled a rea a re s ome o f the l argest r ooms a nd structures f rom t he s ite. I n each o f these c ases, there was a t aller s tructure with a built-in bench f acing o n the s ame p atio. These patterns s uggest t hat t hese c oncentrations were t rash produced by s econdary dwellings i n the r esidential c lusters. At t he s ame t ime, the main dwellings ( with built-in benches) appear t o l ack such trash c oncentrations. The only exception t o t his i s one o f two u nique t rash c oncentrations excavated, l ocated within a room with a bench, where c eramics extended f rom t he f loor over t he s urface o f the b ench. The room was one o f two in t he s tructure, s haring a common center wall but with entrances on opposite s ides o f the s ubstructure, and each provided 4 04

Terminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque with a stone b ench. The o ccurrence o f two benches i n separate rooms i n one s tructure was unique i n t he excavated s ample. The ceramic concentration, crushed and overlain b y c obbles f rom the c ollapsed s uperstructure, consisted of s everal whole j ars and a lmost complete vessels, a nd i ncluded a whole, u sed s tone mano. I n addition, a c ircular a rea o f hardened orange c lay on the f loor may i ndicate the u se-location o f a hearth o r brazier. This u nique constellation o f f eatures s uggests the identification of the r oom and its contents as a f oodpreparation and s torage a rea. The f inal u nique t rash c oncentration excavated was l ocated a t the i ntersection o f two l ow, wide cobble walls which ran outside the patio group. Walls defining patio g roups or c lusters have been reported f rom other s ites, where they were a lso the l ocus of trash deposits ( e.g., La C eiba, Honduras; Benyo 1 983). The unique status o f this c ontext i n the e xcavated s ample f rom Cerro P alenque i s due p rimarily to t he f ailure to detect these f eatures c onsistently i n m apping and to s ample them in excavation. T he composition o f this concentration i s s imilar to t hat o f t he trash deposits a ssociated with s econdary dwellings. Attributes of t he ceramics excavated at C erro P alenque i n 1 982 a nd 1 983 were r ecorded i n 1 983 i n H onduras. Observations f or each s herd were t abulated on c omputer d ata collection f orms, using codes for variations i n categories s uch a s r im f orm, s urface color, e tc. Each r im was d rawn a t 1 :1 s cale, and l abelled w ith the code n umber a ssociated with i ts data on the coding f orms. Body s herds w ere a lso t abulated with r espect to observable a ttributes s uch a s s ection o f geometric solid, i nterior a nd exterior s urface t reatment, and ware ( paste color, t exture, core, t emper). I n a ll 3 0,689 s herds f rom C erro P alenque were t abulated; 2 5,199 s herds s temmed f rom e xcavations i n the T erminal C lassic z one while the r emainder were f rom CR 4 4. Approximately 8 % by count o f t he CR 1 57 c ollection may b e considered " diagnostic," e .g., r ims, appendages, and complex body s herds. Diagnostics f rom CR 1 57 included 7 06 r ims, many from a lmost c omplete vessels, a nd the f ollowing d iscussion i s b ased p rimarily on t hese. Table 1 l ists t he k inds o f c eramics r epresented i n the total s ample o f diagnostics ( 1575 s herds) f rom CR 1 57. I n addition, s everal types o f c eramic artifacts w ere r ecovered at the s ite. These i ncluded whistles ( 2), a s tamp ( 1), f igurines ( 2 whole, 4 l arge f ragments), a 3 -hole c andelero, n eedle-shaped a rtifacts, a nd p eculiar oval molded a rtifacts. The distributions o f recorded attributes were e xamined both manually and with the use o f computer p rograms to d etect the p resence of recurrent associations o f a ttributes. After a brief initial s tage in which I 4 05

R osemary A . J oyce

Table

1 .

C eramic D iagnostics

f rom CR 1 57

D escription

N umber

U nslipped c ollared j ar r ims U nslipped f laring n ecked j ar r ims R ed s lipped c ollared j ar r ims R ed s lipped f laring n ecked j ar r ims O ther r ed s lipped j ar f orm r ims B olstered r im r ed-on-natural j ar r ims Everted r im r ed-on-natural j ar r ims W edge r im b asin r ims R ed s lipped f laring wall bowl r ims O ther m iscellaneous r ims C enser p late a nd b ody r ims a nd h andles B ody s herds, h uman e ffigy c enser O ther miscellaneous body s herds F ine P aste r ims and other d iagnostics S upports H andles B ody s herds with s econdary t reatment TOTAL

7 3 1 03 3 4 2 2 2 5 7 2 4 7 6 1 01 2 6 1 7 7 4 1 30 1 99 1 03 3 74 1 87 1 575

manually p lotted d istributions o f r im d iameters f or the f orm v ariants, I r esorted t o a program written f or me by Rus S heptak t hat a llowed me to generate s cattergrams from d ata while varying t he i nclusivity o f i ntervals o f v ariables measured a s c ontinuous ( e.g., r im diameter). T his a llowed me t o i dentify p eaks ( modes) o f the c ontinuous v ariables t hat I u sed t o d efine i ntervals for u se w ith S PSS on the U niversity o f I llinois C YBER s ystem. The majority o f t he f requencies a nd c ross-tabulations o f a ttributes r eported were g enerated by S PSS. T erminal

C lassic C eramics

T he r esults o f t he a nalysis o f c eramic a ttributes are s ummarized i n T ables 2 and 3 . T he c lustering o f t hese a ttributes a llowed the definition o f a number of p olythetic c lasses o f c eramics i n t he Terminal C lassic s ample. S even major c lasses o f u nslipped ( 15,333 body s herds, 6 1%), r ed s lipped ( 5627 b ody s herds, 2 2%), and b urnished f ine p aste ( 2096 b ody s herds, 8 %) c eramics c omprise t he b ulk o f the s ample, which i ncludes the f ollowing f orms: f ine paste ( temperless) burnished s erving vessels; c ollared j ars ( red o r u nslipped); f laring n ecked j ars ( red or unslipped); bolstered r im b asins ( redr immed o r u nslipped); r ed s lipped f laring walled b owls; v ertical n ecked r ed p ainted j ars; unslipped c ensers ( three p rong, s piked, a nd e ffigy f orms).

4 06

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

Table 2 . R im D iameter I nterval

CR

1 57

D istribution o f

basin

F orm C lass by R im D iameter F orm c lass o ut-turned r ound f laring r im bowls bowls bowls

d ish

0 -6 c m 7 -12 cm 5 3 1 3-16 cm 1 0 3 1 7-18 cm 1 2 1 9-20 cm 6 6 2 1-22 cm 1 1 7 2 3-24 cm 6 1 4 2 5-26 cm 6 1 2 7-28 cm 2 1 2 9-30 cm 2 3 1-32 cm 5 1 3 3-35 cm 4 3 6-39 cm 3 4 0-44 cm 7 4 5-50 cm 3 B ased on 6 59 measurable r ims.

6 2 8 8 6 6 5 3 3

N=66

1 7 2 2 1 0 1 6 1 0 1 4 1 1 2 0

4 3 1 2 6 2 3 4

7 3 . 1 1 7 2 2 a pproximately 1 0%.

Form c lass R im D iameter I nterval 0 -6 cm 7 -12 cm 1 3-16 cm 1 7-18 cm 1 9-20 cm 2 1-22 cm 2 3-24 cm 2 5-26 cm 2 7-28 cm 2 9-30 cm 3 1-32 cm 3 3-35 cm 3 6-39 cm 4 0-44 cm 4 5-50 cm

e verted r im j ars

coll ared j ars

3 5 2 1 6 6 2 2 3 2

4 1 6 5 1 5 9 1 7 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 6 6 3 1

1 2

S c urve j ars

1 1

1

4 07

f lari ng j ars 1 6 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 8 7 3 1 0 3 2 1

v ertic al j ars

1 1 1 1 1

2 2

n eckl ess j ars 3 1 6 3 2 1 1 1 1

R osemary A . J oyce

T able

3 .

CR

1 57

D istribution o f

Cylindrical 1

S urface T reatment b y Form

wedge r im b asins/Vertical wall d ishes Exterior 3 1 2 5 6 8 7 9 1 0

2

I nterior 1 2 3 1 2 6 1 0

1 0/18 1 /0 0 /1 7 /0 2 /0

0 /3 2 /1

1 /0 4 /10 4 0/1 2 /1

0 /4 2 /1

S urface t reatment c odes: ( 1) u nslipped, ( 2) unslipped with r ed o r o range p aint, ( 3) s elf-slipped, ( 4) s elf-slipped w ith b lack paint, ( 5) brushed, ( 6) o range s lipped, ( 7) Red and b lack ( and o ther) p aint on orange s lip, ( 8) g lossy and p owdery r ed-orange s lip, ( 9) r ed-brown s lip, ( 10) s mudged/black s lipped, ( 12) buff s lip a nd s elf-slip with r ed paint a nd/or i ncision, ( 13) c ream s lip with brown wash.

1

2

Round s ided bowls E xterior 3 1 2 5 6

8

7

9

1 0

I nterior 1 3 1 2 6 8

'

1 7 2 2 4

2 1 6* 1 2 1

4 2

* a s ingle additional e xterior

1

2

e xample h as

b lack p aint on

F laring wall bowls E xterior 3 1 2 5 6

8

7

the

9

1 0

I nterior 1 2 3 1 2 6 8 9 1 0

4 2 1 6 6 1 4 2 5 4 1

4 1 9

1

1

4 08

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

O ut-turned r im bowls/Restricted vessels E xterior 1 2 3 1 2 5 6 8 7

* 9

1 0

I nterior 1 3 1 2 6 8 9 1 0

7 /19 3 /6 8 /0 1 /0 1 /0 1 /0 4 /0

1 /1

* a s ingle example has

a white

s lip with brown wash

Everted r im/Vertical E xterior 2 3 1 2 5

1

neck

j ars

6

8

7

9

1 0

8

7

9

1 0

j ars/concave necked j ars E xterior 3 1 2 5 6 8 7

9

1 0

I nterior 1 1 2 6

1 0/2 1 /0

1 /0 1 7/7 4 /0

1

2

F laring n ecked E xterior 3 1 2 5

j ars 6

I nterior 1 3 1 2 6

7 3 2

2 3 7 1

C ollared 1

2

I nterior 1 3 1 2 6

1 01/2 2 /0

B ased o n

6 73

1 /0 3 1/1 2 /0

o f 7 06

r ims;

6 7

r ims = 1 0% o f

4 09

the

s ample

R osemary A . J oyce M inor g roups ( under 5 % o f the r im s herd sample; under 0 .1% o f b ody s herds) i ncluded g lossy r ed-orange s lip o n t empered f ine o range p aste ( bowl f orms, with o ut-turned r im or b olstered l ip); b lack p aint on buff f ine p aste ( one h emispherical bowl); p olished dark g ray s lipped t empered f ine paste ( tripod d ishes); a nd b rown washed, c ream s lipped t empered f ine o live paste ( one e ffigy incurved r im b owl w ith t ripod b ulbous s upports. A ll the minor group f orms a re s erving v essels, a nd s everal are p robably i mports. [ 1] O verall, c ontinuity f rom the p revious c eramic c omplex c haracterizes the s torage a nd f ood p reparation f orms, i ncluding unslipped a nd r ed s lipped bowls, b asins and j ars. Change i s most s harply e vident i n s erving v essels, where t emperless, unslipped, b urnished f orms r eplace p olychromes. The p roportion o f d ishes t o other s erving v essel f orms rose f rom t he p receding L ate C lassic p olychrome-dominated c omplex. A lthough t he s ize o f the s ample i s s maller, c hange i s a lso evident in u nslipped c enser f orms. B olstered a nd wedge r ims b ecame more c ommon i n a ll f orm c lasses, r ising f rom 5 .4% i n t he Late C lassic t o 1 3.3% i n t he T erminal C lassic a t C erro P alenque. Collared, g lobular b odied j ars without handles ( 20% o f r im s herds), a nd t all f laring necked j ars with p airs o f h andles between l ip and s houlder ( 17% o f r im sherds), are e stablished f orms t hat c ontinue i n t he T erminal C lassic c eramic complex ( Fig. 3 ). Approximately 2 5% o f t hese f orms a re r ed s lipped i n t he T erminal C lassic, a d ivergence f rom e arlier p eriods i n which t hese f orms were i nvariably unslipped. T he i ncrease i n r ed s lip on T erminal C lassic f laring n ecked . jars at C erro P alenque p romotes a c loser c omparison with c ontemporary Tinaja Red j ars o f S eibal ( Sabloff 1 975:158-160), r einforced by a ' shared m inor l ip e laboration mode o n t he T erminal C lassic f laring n ecked j ars f rom C erro P alenque, t ick-notching. T icked r ims o n u nslipped a nd r ed s lipped f laring n ecked j ars a re more c ommon i n c ontemporary T erminal C lassic j ars f rom t he s ite o f L as F lores Bolsa n ortheast on t he U lua R iver t han a t Cerro P alenque ( Strong, K idder, a nd P aul 1 936; J oyce 1 985b). T his mode i s a lso noted i n a s ingle, a berrant r ed j ar i n the L ate C lassic-Early Postclassic M agdalena phase o f t he m iddle Motagua valley i n Guatemala ( Smith a nd K idder 1 943:146, F ig. 2 4h). U nslipped o r r edr immed b asins e quipped w ith s ets o f f our w ide vertical s trap h andles r ise f rom a L ate C lassic f requency o f 2 % to over 8 %. J ars with g lobular bodies, nearly v ertical necks, and t hree r im t reatments c ontinue t he C lassic r ed painted j ar t radition o f t he U lua valley. A small number o f examples w ith d irect l ip and s ublabial f lange c ontinue a l arge h andleless s torage v essel f orm o f t he p receding complex. E verted r im ( 6% o f t he r im s herd s ample; F ig. 4 ) a nd

4 10

T erminal C lassic C eram ics o f C erro P alenque

2 cm

F ig. 3 . ( a t o j ars. ( c,d) Red

d ) F laring s lipped and

necked and ( e, f ) ( a,b,e,f) unslipped.

4 11

c ollared

R osemary A . J oyce

=

O M 2cm

1 0 cm

F ig. 4 . R ed-on-natural e verted r im j ars; f rom whole v essel, r econstructed ( d).

r im p rofile

( b)

bolstered r im ( 1% o f t he r im s herd s ample; Fig. 5 ) f orms h ave p airs o f vertical s trap h andles w ith an o ptional a ppliqued t humb-impressed p ellet. The s ize distribution o f t hese two f orms r emains t he s ame a s t hat o f t he Late C lassic everted r im j ars, with small ( 14 cm ), medium ( 222 4 cm) a nd l arge ( 30-32 cm) v ariants. T he two T erminal C lassic j ar f orms d iffer i n s urface t reatment a nd paste c olor. T he e verted r im f orms f eature l inear r ed h orizontal w avy l ines o n vessel n ecks, c ross-hatching on r im i nteriors, a nd l inear g eometric motifs on bodies, on a g ray o r b uff p aste w ith a dark c ore. T he bolstered r im f orms, w ith a c ontrasting o range o r b rown p aste w ithout a marked c ore, h ave s olid r ed s lip o n b odies, i nterior necks, and Exterior n ecks may b e s olid r ed o r unslipped. While a t C erro P alenque n one o f these f orms 4 12

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

L

M IR i oc m

F ig. 5 . Red-on-natural pellet on handles.

bolstered r im

j ars;

note

applique

appears to be i ncised, contemporary bolstered r im j ars at Las F lores Bolsa h ave horizontal s ets o f wavy i ncised l ines on t he unslipped exterior neck ( Joyce 1 985b). F laring wall b owl r ims make up approximately 2 3% o f the Terminal C lassic r im sherds, comparable to t he 2 5% o f Late C lassic r im s herds probably o f this form. However, where the bulk o f the Late C lassic f laring wall bowls are c omplex polychrome o r b lack s lip i ncised t ypes, t he T erminal C lassic sample i s l argely composed of s imple red s lipped f orms. R ed s lipped, f laring wall bowls ( Fig. 6 ) r eplace hemisph rical, orange-slipped b owl f orms o f the Late C lassic. These i nclude both a ll-over s lipped and 4 13

R osemary A . J oyce

2cm

—

• )

' 5 . e .

Wcm

F ig. 6 . i nterior

F laring wall bowls, r ed s lipped, smudged.

exterior unslipped,

s mudged,

i nterior s lipped versions. A group o f very wide ( 36 to 5 0 cm r im diameter) f laring wall bowls i s added to a s ize distribution that otherwise parallels that o f the C lassic. The predominant r ed s lipped bowl f orm of the T erminal C lassic, a ccounting f or a ll o f these l arger d iameter bowls, has an externally thickened rim a nd marked b asal break, a s ilhouette called S -shaped a t Lubaantun and c ommon i n S an Jose I V and V ( Hammond 1 975; T hompson 1 939:127, 1 40, F ig. 9 3, " basal overlap dish," " outcurving bowl"). Most bowls o f this form at Cerro Palenque have b lackened exteriors, a r ed-brown paste, and brown o r b lackened r ed s lip, and may h ave been deliberately smudged. Unlike the Belize examples, they l ack r ingstand s upports, which become common only i n the s ucceeding phase in t he U lua valley. Wedge r im basins with f our wide, vertical s trap handles ( Fig. 7 ) r ise in f requency f rom 2 % in Late C lassic contexts to over 8 % o f a ll r ims. The r im i s u sually r ed painted, and often t he exterior wall i s a lso r ed p ainted. There i s o ften a s ingle punctation near the b ase of the handle o f t hese l arge b asins. T he wedge r im b asin f orm recalls s imilar Cehpech forms f rom Yucatan ( Smith 1 971:707 1), but these d iffer i n s urface treatment, body f orm ( cylindrical walled i n the U lua valley), and number and/or orientation o f s trap handles. More s imilar unslipped, o range and r ed wedge-rim, s trap-handled forms are f requent in S hila phase ( to AD 6 25) o f Q uelepa, E l S alvador ( Andrews 1 976:71-95, 1 44-145). 4 14

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

a

1 0c m

2 cm

F ig.

7 .

Wedge r im basins,

red r immed.

These monochrome and unslipped j ar and bowl f orms, d espite minor d ifferences and shifts i n surface color, c learly c ontinue e stablished types o f the Late C lassic U lua valley. M ajor d iscontinuity i s evident i n the r eplacement o f U lua Polychrome s erving vessel forms o f the Late C lassic with temperless, well b urnished f orms c learly r elated to A ltar F ine Orange g roup o f the western Maya l owlands. Late U lua Polychromes a re p resent at CR 1 57 only i n c onstruction f ill f rom the ballcourt, where they a re a ccompanied by more numerous f ine paste s herds. Burnished f ine p aste s erving vessels ( 180 r ims, 2 5% r im s ample) r ange f rom g ray-buff, through p ink and l ight o range, t o brown. The s urface i s well smoothed, matte, s lightly darker than the c ore. A f iring core i s present i n t he gray to buff examples, and absent i n the orange and b rown examples. Attribute a nalysis i ndicates no c onsistent a ssociation o f e ither o f these c olors with particular f orms, decorative t echniques or motifs, o r other variables. I ndividual vessels may vary f rom orange to g ray, l eading to the i nference that these c olors are due to v ariations i n f iring. Consequently, t hese are g rouped a nd d iscussed together. Major vessel forms i nclude t ripod d ishes; small hemispherical d irect r im,

4 15

R osemary A . J oyce v ertical n ecked, o r f laring n ecked b owls; a nd s haped or pyriform vases, s ome with p edestal base.

b arrel

S hallow d ishes w ith v ertical o r i ncurving walls 3 -5 c m d eep w ith t ripod o ven s upports p redominate ( Fig. 8 ). [ 2] They a re smaller t han t heir e arlier U lua P olychrome e quivalents, r anging f rom 1 6 t o 2 4 cm i n rim d iameter, r ather than 1 8 t o 2 8 cm. They a re o ften i ncised on t he i nterior b ase w ith a c ircumferential c ircle, d ivided i n f our q uadrants, with p arallel l ines a t r ight angles. T he i ncision i s u sually s harp and deep. A s ingle t ripod d ish h as an outflaring wall a nd s lightly b ulbous t ripod f eet. The c ommon d ish f orm i s a lso f ound i n a s andy, t empered p aste w ith g lossy b lack i nterior a nd e xterior s lip, w ith a s lightly s maller r im d iameter ( 18 cm). T he s ame p attern o f t emperless d ishes a nd t empered, b lack s lipped v ariants w ith s lightly d ifferent d iameters, was noted at S eibal i n t he T erminal C lassic B ayal p hase a s well ( Sabloff 1 975:185). F ine p aste b arrel s haped vases ( 4% o f r ims) 8 to 1 2 cm i n r im d iameter r eplace the s omewhat l arger ( 14 c m modal r im d iameter) cylindrical polychrome vessels o f the L ate C lassic ( Fig. 9 ). U sually f lat b ased, t hese b arrel s haped v essels o ccasionally h ave a l ow p edestal base. S econdary s urface t reatment o f t hese v ases i s l imited t o i ncised c ircumferential l ines b elow t he l ip and a bove the w idest portion o f t he b ody, i ncised g eometric m otifs i n a s ingle s ublabial b and, impressed motifs i n the s ame a rea, a nd possibly p arallel vertical g rooves ( false g adrooning). I ncised a nd i mpressed m otifs notably l ack a ny a pparent h uman o r a nimal f igures. Round s ided b owls f all f rom o ver 1 5% o f t he L ate C lassic s ample t o a bout 8 % o f t he T erminal C lassic s ample. L ike f ine p aste vases a nd d ishes, f ine p aste bowls a re s omewhat s maller ( diameters 8 to 1 6 cm) t han p receding p olychrome b owls ( 14 t o 2 0 cm). T hree r im f orms a re c ommon on t hese e xtremely t hin walled, f lat b ased b owls; d irect r ims, s hort v ertical n ecks, a nd s hort, f laring n ecks ( Fig. 1 0). One d irect r im r ound s ided bowl w ith a s ingle i ncised s ublabial c ircumferential l ine was f ound c ached w ith a matching barrel s haped vase. I t i s p ossible t hat s ome s herds o f vertically g rooved ( falseg adrooned) b odies a re f rom r ound s ided b owls. C ollared b owls o ccasionally h ave an incised l ine b elow the j uncture o f b ody a nd n eck, or more r arely a s ingle i ncised panel w ith a s imple b raid o r guilloche motif. Unslipped c ensers i nclude c ontinuations o f e stablished f orms a nd i nnovations, a gain r elated t o c ontemporary l owland Maya c omplexes. Portions o f u ndecorated t hree-prong c enser b odies a nd a ccompanying r oughly s cored p lates c ontinue L ate C lassic f orms o f t he U lua v alley. Two decorated c enser b odies, one a p edestal 4 16

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

2c m

F ig. 8 . Cerro Palenque i ncised interior base ( a).

f ine

4 17

paste

dishes

i ncluding

R osemary A . J oyce

b

a

d

f

e

9

El l » 2 CM

F ig. 9 . Cerro P alenque f ine p aste vases i ncluding i ncised ( c,d) and s tamped ( b,e,f,g) p anels. Whole vessel ( a) f rom a c ache with bowl ( Fig. 1 0d).

4 18

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque

2cm

F ig. 1 0. c ollared P robable

( a-e) Cerro Palenque f ine paste bowls: ( a,b,c) bowls; ( d) s ublip i ncised cached bowl; ( f) Tekax B lack-on-red bowl.

4 19

R ose _mary A . J oyce

b owl f orm w ith l ow s pikes l ike M iseria Applique o f c ontemporary S eibal ( Sabloff 1 975:174-178), come f rom the f ill o f t he major p laza a nd a n on-domestic s tructure i n a r esidential g roup. A molded human e ffigy c enser, d epicting a s tanding f igure d ressed i n a f eathered c ostume, was f ound i n an i solated n on-domestic s tructure t hat a lso p roduced t he s ole f ragment o f s tone s culpture f rom t he T erminal C lassic s ite z one.

D ISCUSSION T he T erminal C lassic c eramics o f the U lua v alley, a s d efined a t C erro P alenque a nd i dentified a t S anta R ita and T ravesia, a re quite u nlike t hose o f other H onduran a reas. I n n o o ther s ite i n Honduras w ere polychrome c eramics r eplaced b y F ine O range r elated t ypes. A few s herds o f F ine O range c eramics were i ncluded in t he type O lingo P olychrome a t L os Naranjos ( Baudez a nd Becquelin 1 973:2912 93, T able 4 ; my i dentification, b ased on examination o f t ype c ollection a nd c omparison of d escription a nd i llustrations, a grees w ith S heehy's [ 1982] opinion). I n a ddition, I h ave i dentified a f ew s herds of U lua v alley f ine p aste c eramics e xcavated a t t he s ite o f Tres P iedras i n t he Naco v alley b y S trong, K idder, a nd Paul ( 1938). B oth o f t hese s ites a re c lose to t he p eriphery o f t he U lua v alley. T he l ack o f U lua valley f ine p aste c eramics i n other a reas o f H onduras i s expected, g iven t he l imited points o f c omparison b etween t he c eramics o f t he U lua v alley and o ther a reas o f Honduras a t t he e nd o f the C lassic p eriod. While c omb-incision c ontinued t o b e employed a t L os N aranjos and C opan ( Baudez and B ecquelin 1 973: T able 4 ; V iel 1 984:525; Longyear 1 952:90), i t was de-emphasized i n t he U lua valley. T all, f laring n ecked j ar f orms a re r are i n s ites o utside t he U lua v alley. I n the T erminal C lassic, t hese l ocal f laring n ecked j ars a re occasionally r ed s lipped, a nd b oth r ed s lipped a nd unslipped v ariants may h ave a t icked r im. These f eatures o f the T erminal C lassic c eramics o f C erro P alenque a re paralleled i n c ontemporary c eramic c omplexes o f t he Maya l owlands, p articularly the B ayal B oca c eramic c omplex o f Seibal. An u nspecified v ariety o f T inaja Red ( Sabloff 1 975:158-160, F igs. 2 96-305) i ncludes j ars and b owls with f orms l ike t hose o f l ate U lua v alley r ed s lipped t ypes. N otched r ims a re n oted o n f laring n ecked j ars i n t his v ariety ( Sabloff 1 975:158). T he r im d iameters o f j ars o f t his variety a re s maller t han t hose o f U lua v alley a nalogues. Notched l ips a re a lso f ound a t Seibal o n r ed s lipped f laring necked j ars o f P antano Impressed: S tamped v ariety. S abl off ( 1975:168) n otes t hat a lthough u ndoubtedly a l ocal t ype, P antano I mpressed: S tamped 4 20

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque variety Belize.

i s

probably

related

to

s tamped

ceramics

f rom

spiked c ensers f rom Terminal C lassic C erro The Palenque r esemble the type Miseria Applique o f S eibal ( Sabloff 1 975:174-176), a type a lso f ound i n Terminal C lassic context a t Uaxactun, at A ltar de S acrificios ( as Cedral Applique; Adams 1 971:174-176), in Belize a s part of the coeval Benque Viejo IV complex, a nd in the Motagua valley Magdalena c omplex. The g reatest p arallels between the Terminal C lassic complexes o f Cerro Palenque and S eibal a re in t he f ine paste ceramics o f t he two s ites. U lua valley examples, unlike A ltar F ine Orange group, appear to be unslipped. The well burnished s urface i s usually a yellowish buff, but orange, gray, and p ink colors are a lso f ound. U lua valley f ine p aste ceramics parallel A ltar g roup types Trapiche I ncised: Decorated I nterior variety ( Sabloff 1 975:194-195), P abellon Modeled-carved ( Sabloff 1 975:1951 98), and Cedro Gadrooned ( Sabloff 1 975:204). F ine gray paste materials i n t he U lua valley do not h ave t he particular d istinctive attributes o f Tres Naciones F ine Gray ceramic g roup ( Sabloff 1 975:211-213), f or example s olid tripod s upports on d ish f orms. The g reatest parallel between the two areas i s i n the f ine paste tripod d ish with oven shaped s upports, s lightly i ncurved o r vertical walls, and incised patterns on the i nterior base. T he U lua valley examples l ack t he exterior i ncising o f A ltar g roup d ishes, and s everal other dish f orms are f ound at S eibal. I nterior base i ncised designs i n U lua f ine paste are entirely geometric, while those o f S eibal include f ish and animals. There are a lso p arallels a t S eibal f or the f lat b ottomed, barrel s haped vases, and i ncurving, pedestal b ased vases o f C erro P alenque. The f orm i s typical o f Pabellon Modeled-carved at S eibal, and U lua valley e xamples a re a lso s tamped o r i ncised when decorated. However, the most diagnostic motifs o f the S eibal type, human f igures i n c onfrontation, are absent f rom the Cerro P alenque s ample. This d ivergence i s r einforced by the absence o f bowls w ith s tamped or incised decoration at Cerro P alenque, t he s econd f orm of t he Pabellon Modeledc arved type at S eibal. A f inal p arallel with A ltar F ine Orange types i s the p resence at Cerro P alenque o f a number of b ody s herds with vertical g rooved o r f alse-gadrooned decoration. N one o f t hese sherds was a ssociated with a rim, s uggesting the possibility that they r epresent t he l ower p ortion o f b arrel s haped vases p lain near the rim. The barrel s haped vase i s one o f t he major forms of the type Cedro Gadrooned a t S eibal. 4 21

R osemary A . J oyce

U lua v alley f ine paste i ncludes one s et of f orms that a ppears t o b e absent f rom S eibal. T hese a re small, round s ided bowls with f laring o r v ertical c ollars. They o ften h ave a b and at t he j unction b etween body a nd collar, with a s eries o f o blique v ertical i ncised l ines f orming a band o f design. I n a ddition t o t hese t emperless f orms, there i s a small g roup o f t empered, g ray s lipped s herds from t ripod d ishes w ith o ven s haped s upports a nd i ncised i nterior b ases i n t he U lua T erminal C lassic. These resemble the t ypes Achote B lack a nd Cubeta I ncised o f S eibal ( Sabloff 1 975:181-185). L ike S abloff, I b elieve t he b lack s lipped, t empered d ish f orm i s a l ocal i mitation o f a f ine paste f orm. P arallels b etween t he c eramics o f S eibal a nd the T erminal C lassic U lua valley a re s ufficiently s trong to a rgue that t he R io P asion r egion was t he s ource o f the i mpetus f or a doption o f f ine p aste c eramics to r eplace p olychrome c eramics a t C erro P alenque. T he differences between t he two complexes s uggest t hat U lua valley f ine p aste c eramics were o f l ocal manufacture. C ontinuity i n l ocal d omestic c eramic t raditions i n t he T erminal C lassic U lua valley s upports t he evidence o f c ontinuity i n s ettlement p atterns f rom t he Late C lassic ( Joyce 1 985a). I nfluence f rom t he western Maya l owlands i s l imited t o s erving v essel and r itual c enser f orms. C ontinuing t he L ate C lassic p attern o f d istribution o f U lua p olychromes, f ine paste s erving vessels are f ound i n r esidential g roups o f a ll r anks a t Cerro P alenque. F ine p aste c eramics o f C erro P alenque e ntirely l ack the d epictions o f t hemes o f militarism which i n t he Rio P asion a re t aken a s evidence o f population i ntrusion. T erminal C lassic c eramics o f t he U lua valley appear t o b e a d eliberate adoption o f t he mode of f orm and s urface t reatment o f Boca c eramic s phere r itual c enser f orms a nd s erving vessels. The u se o f t hese c eramics c onstitutes a c laim o f i dentity w ith t he Boca c eramic s phere on t he p art o f t he p opulation o f C erro Palenque. A p ossible m echanism f or the a doption o f this c eramic model i s t hrough a n e xchange n etwork l inking t he e lite o f C erro P alenque w ith t he e lite o f t he w estern Maya l owlands ( Joyce 1 986). The r oute o f contact b etween t he two a reas, b ased i n p art o n e arlier patterns o f i nteraction, may have been t hrough B elize, p erhaps t he S an J ose a rea. S an J ose V c eramics i nclude t emperless s herds t ypologically a ssignable t o P abellon Modeled-carved t ype a s w ell a s t empered c eramics i n t he s ame s uite o f f orms ( dishes and b arrel s haped v ases) a s a re f ound at S eibal and i n the 4 22

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque U lua valley ( Thompson 1 939:143-150). Contemporary d omestic c eramics o f S an Jose include f laring n ecked, red s lipped j ars, a s well as red s lipped composite s ilhouette b owls which a re s trikingly s imilar in profile to those of the Terminal C lassic U lua valley. Spiked c enser f orms are p art of this complex a s well ( Thompson 1 939:125). E xcavations at S an Jose y ielded s ix sherds o f U lua marble v essels f rom S an Jose V contexts ( Thompson 1 939:167). U lua marble vessels a re a lso known f rom T epeu 3 c ontexts a t Uaxactun a nd f rom an equivalent t ime f rame at A ltun Ha ( Kidder 1 947:36-37, F ig. 2 0; Pendergast 1 967). A T erminal C lassic r oute o f communication between the P asion and the U lua valleys t hrough Belize s eems probable ( Joyce 1 986; S heptak 1 985).

CONCLUSION Terminal C lassic ceramics o f the U lua valley c ontinued established t raditions of domestic vessel forms a nd surface t reatments while r adically a ltering f orm and s urface t reatment o f s erving vessels a nd c ensers f or p ublic r itual u se. New f eatures o f Terminal C lassic c eramics o f C erro P alenque are c lose to f eatures of the B oca ceramic sphere, e specially a s defined at S eibal. D ifferences f rom Bayal phase c eramics s uggest that T erminal C lassic f ine paste c eramics at Cerro P alenque r epresent a deliberate adoption by l ocal populations of t he model of B oca s phere c eramics, incorporating new f eatures i n c ultural p ractices which show l ittle change f rom earlier p eriods. I n particular, the motifs in c eramics a nd s tone c arving o f the Rio P asion that have b een used to s uggest that militarism was i nvolved in the i ntroduction o f F ine Orange c eramics i n t he T erminal C lassic a re absent f rom U lua valley f ine paste. U lua v alley f ine paste c eramics are found i n residential debris t hroughout the s ite at C erro P alenque, and a re not r estricted to a s ingle z one. There i s no basis to suggest t hat an i ntrusive population was r esponsible f or the i ntroduction of f ine paste ceramics at Cerro P alenque. Lacking evidence o f militarism and an intrusive p opulation, an a lternative explanation i s necessary for the adoption o f public ritual u se c enser and s erving v essels f rom t he western Maya l owlands by the Terminal C lassic population o f Cerro Palenque. The explanation s uggested i s d eliberate identification with h igh s tatus e xchange partners by U lua valley e lite, a l ong-standing p rocess producing n etworks of i nteraction. Earlier n etworks l inked s pecific U lua valley e lite with t hose o f B elize l owland Maya s ites ( Joyce 1 986; Sheptak 1 985). The T erminal C lassic interaction network with t he R io Pasion was similar i n k ind, but developed as a more exclusive r elationship between Cerro Palenque and a Rio P asion c enter, possibly S eibal. While this initially a llowed the 4 23

R osemary A . J oyce development o f Cerro Palenque as a unique p rimate c enter i n t he U lua valley, u ltimately the c ollapse of Rio P asion centers b roke the tenuous network a nd l eft Cerro P alenque to decline ( Joyce 1 985a).

Acknowledgments My work at Cerro Palenque was part o f the P royecto Arqueologico Sula ( PAS) o f the I nstituto Hondureno d e Antropologia e Historia ( IHAH). I would l ike t o acknowledge the encouragement o f Ricardo Agurcia, d irector o f I HAH, and John Henderson, director of PAS. F inancial s upport f or my f ieldwork was provided by a Fulbright-Hays D issertation Fellowship, an Organization of American S tates T rainee Fellowship, a grant f rom the R esearch Council o f the Graduate College o f the University o f I llinois ( Urbana), and grants f rom the D epartment o f Anthropology a nd Center f or Latin American and C aribbean S tudies-Tinker Foundation o f the University o f I llinois.

Notes [ 1] Among these minority c eramics a re s ingle examples o f unique f orms, t entatively identified as Teabo R ed group ( Puuc Red ware; Smith 1 971:27) o f northeastern Y ucatan, and Guayabal Modeled-carved o f Q uelepa, El S alvador ( Andrews 1 976:96-123, 1 47). The T eabo Red i dentification was s uggested by Fernando Robles ( personal c ommunication), and confirmed by comparison with H arvard P eabody Museum c ollections. The s ingle hemispherical, f lat based bowl, with b lack l inear exterior painted d esigns ( Fig. 1 0f), i s a ssigned t o t he type Tekax B lack-on-red. R obles s uggests that the relatively brown surface c olor o f this p iece i s more common in eastern Yucatan than f arther west. The s ingle vessel i dentified a s Guayabal M odeledc arved i s a unique i ncurving bowl or vase with s lightly bulbous t ripod s upports. I t has a c ompact f ine t an paste distinct f rom the temperless l ocal f ine p aste. A contrasting white s lip covers the entire exterior and i nterior. Modeled e ffigy facial f eatures on the e xterior ( including eyebrows, eyes, nose, m outh, a nd ears) appear to have a brown wash. [ 2] U lua valley f ine paste c eramics a re more c losely r elated to A ltar F ine Orange than t o Balancan Fine O range through s hared vessel forms a nd range o f s urface modification techniques. Nonetheless, F ernando Robles c ommented that sherds o f U lua valley f ine paste which were bright orange were within the r ange he r ecognized for Balancan F ine ) range. H e a lso noted that t he predominant vertical to i ncurved wall tripod d ish form of Ulua valley 4 24

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque f ine paste was c ommon i n types from Quintana Roo and eastern Yucatan, as well as a long the Rio Pasion ( e.g., Kohunlich; Z aragoza de Davila 1 981:219, Fig. 2 0).

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R .E. W. The Ceramics of Altar de Sacrificios, Guatemala, P apers o f the Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

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E . W. The Archaeology o f Quelepa, American Research I nstitute Orleans: Tulane University).

BAUDEZ, 1 973

C .F., AND P . BECQUELIN Archeologie de Los Naranjos, Honduras Etudes Mesoamericaines I I. Mission Archeologique et Ethnologique Francaise au Mexique, Mexico D .F.

E l Salvador, Middle Publication 4 2 ( New

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"Aspects o f I ntra-community Social Structure at La Ceiba, Honduras," paper presented at the 8 2nd Annual Meeting o f the American Anthropological Association ( 1983), Chicago, I l.

GORDON, 1 898

G .B. Researches i n the U loa Valley, Honduras, Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Harvard University).

HAMMOND, 1 975

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Peabody Mass.:

N . Lubaantun: A C lassic Maya Realm, Peabody Museum Monographs, no. 2 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University). G ., L . VAN GERPEN, AND V . VELIZ I nforme Preliminar, Curruste: Fase 1 , Patronato Pro-Curruste-Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia, San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

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o f a Ceramic S equence f or Through Early Postclassic, 4 25

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R osemary A . J oyce U lua, Northwest Honduras," s ubmitted t o t he P royecto Arqueologico S ula o f the I nstituto Hondureno de Antropologia e H istoria, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 1 983b

" Travesia ( CR-35): Archaeological I nvestigat ions, 1 983," s ubmitted to the P royecto Arqueologico S ula o f t he I nstituto Hondureno d e Antropologia e H istoria. T egucigalpa, H onduras.

1 985a

" Cerro P alenque, Valle del Terminal C lassic I nteraction Mesoamerican P eriphery," P h.D. o f I llinois, Urbana.

1 985b

" Intraregional paper presented the American Washington, D .C.

1 986

" Terminal C lassic S outheastern Maya Antiquity 5 1(2):313-329.

K IDDER, 1 947

U lua, H onduras: o n the S outhern d iss., U niversity

Ceramic V ariation and C lass," at t he 8 4th Annual Meeting o f Anthropological Association,

I nteraction P eriphery,"

A .V., I I Artifacts o f Uaxactun, C arnegie Institution o f Washington Publication 5 76 ( Washington, D .C.).

LONGYEAR, 1 952

J . M., I II Copan Ceramics: A S tudy o f S outheastern Maya Pottery, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington Publication 5 97 ( Washington, D .C.).

P ENDERGAST, D . 1 967 " Occupacion post-clasica en A ltun Ha, Britanica," Revista M exicana de Antropologicos 2 1:213-24. 1 979

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Excavations at vol. 1 ( Toronto:

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A ltun H a, B elize, 1 964-1970, Royal Ontario Museum).

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ROBINSON, 1 978

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" Palaeoecology o f t he U lua Valley, Honduras: An Archaeological P erspective," P h.D. d iss., S tanford University. E . " Maya Design F eatures o f Mayoid Vessels o f the U lua-Yojoa Polychromes," M .A. thesis, Tulane University. J . Excava*ions at P eabody Museum

S eibal: C eramics, Memoirs o f the o f Archaeology a nd E thnology, 4 26

T erminal C lassic C eramics o f C erro P alenque vol. 1 3(2) University). S HARER,

( Cambridge,

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SMITH, 1 971

R .E. The P ottery o f Mayapan, I ncluding Studies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichen I tza, Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 6 6 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University).

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Archaeology o f the North Coast o f Honduras, Peabody Museum Memoirs IX(1) ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

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Southern vol. 4 9,

W .D., A .V. KIDDER I I, AND A .J.D. PAUL, JR. Preliminary Report of the Smithsonian I nstitution-Harvard University Archaeological Expedition to Northwestern Honduras, 1 936, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 9 7(1), ( Washington, D .C.). 4 27

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" Etude de l a Ceramique U lua-Yojoa Polychrome ( Nord-Ouest du Honduras): Essai d 'Analyse Stylistique du Babilonia," Ph. D. diss., Universite Rene Descartes, P aris. " Evolucion de l a Ceramica en Copan: Resultados Preliminares," in I ntroduccion a l a Arqueologia de Copan, Vol. I , ed. by C .F. Baudez, p p. 4 725 49. Proyecto Arqueologico Copan, S ECTUR, Tegucigalpa, DC. G . R., T .P. CULBERT, AND R . E.W. ADAMS "Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Report from t he 1 965 Guatemala City Conference," American Antiquity 3 2 ( 3):289-315.

. ZARAGOZA DE DAVILA, D de l os Trabajos Realizados S obre e l 1 981 " Informe Ceramico de Kohunlich, Quintana Roo, Material in Memoria del Congreso I nterno 1 978/1979," 2 15-234 . I n stituto N acion al de 1 979, pp. e H istor ia , C en tr o R eg io na l d el Antropologia Sureste, Mexico.

4 28

S pec ia l T op ics i n Maya P o t tery S tud ies

1 7 C eram ic S ys tems : F ac i l i ta t ing C ompar ison i n T ype -Var ie ty Ana lys is J ohn S . H enderson a nd R icardo A gurcia F .

The p roliferation o f archaeological r esearch p rograms i n H onduras d uring t he l ast decade has brought a bout an a valanche o f n ew d ata. T o c ope w ith t he i nformation e xplosion, the I nstituto H ondureno d e Antropologia e H istoria has o rganized a s eries o f S eminarios d e A rqueologia H ondureno d esigned to e nhance the c ompatibility o f analytical methods a nd r eporting c onventions employed by t he many i nvestigators n ow a ctive i n the r epublic a s well a s to f oster t imely exchange o f i nterim r esults. T he t hird S eminario, h eld i n t he C aribbean port o f T ela i n 1 985, f ocused o n the s ystematics o f c eramic analysis a nd d escription ( Agurcia a nd H enderson 1 986). T he a greements r eached t here, a nd r efined a t the H onduran C eramic Workshop i n 1 986, r epresent a major a dvance i n s tandardization that w ill f acilitate c omparison a nd synthesis, a nd s implify t he a dministrative p roblems f aced by t he I nstituto i n complying w ith i ts o bligation t o m ake the materials a nd i nformation p roduced b y r ecent f ield work accessible to s cholars and the g eneral p ublic. T hese improvements i n s ystematics are perfectly applicable e lsewhere i n e astern Mesoamerica. Recent s tudies o f H onduran c eramic a ssemblages ( e.g., B audez 1 966; B audez a nd B ecquelin 1 973; V iel 1 978, 1 983; K ennedy 1 980; J oyce 1 985) h ave b een s tructured b y a v ariety o f conceptual f rameworks. I nvestigators t rained o utside t he United S tates have not b een quick to a dopt the t ype-variety s ystem o f c eramic a nalysis l ong e stablished i n e astern Mesoamerica ( Gifford 1 960; Smith et a l. 1 960; W illey e t a l. 1 967). S everal i nvestigators h ave p referred t o emphasize modal l evel analyses to a greater d egree than i s c onsistent w ith s tandard t ype-variety s ystematics. Type-variety c oncepts d o, h owever, c onstitute t he c ore o f most a nalyses o f H onduran c eramics now i n p rogress, and v irtually a ll i ncorporate s ome f acet o f the 4 31

J ohn S . H enderson a nd R icardo A gurcia F . s ystem. A s i ts p roponents have a lways emphasized, a typev ariety f ramework f or d escription, t abulation, a nd basic a nalysis o f c eramics ensures s ufficient uniformity i n t he s tructure o f c eramic r eports t o f acilitate g eneral c omparison and s ynthesis. This d egree o f s tandardization d oes n ot c onstrain t he f reedom o f analysts to e mphasize the methods that s eem most a ppropriate t o t he p articular a ssemblages and p roblems a t h and, s o that higher-level a nalyses o ften employ o ther, c omplementary c onceptual f rameworks. CERAMIC S YSTEMS S pecifically f ocused c omparison, however, i s a nother matter. Even d edicated p ractitioners o f type-variety a nalysis have s ubstantial d ifferences o f opinion a bout t he a spects o f c eramic v ariability t hat s hould b e u sed t o d efine t axa at various l evels a nd about the d egree o f v ariability p ermissible a t e ach l evel. Type-variety f rameworks vary widely i n t he roles assigned t o t echnology, f orm, s urface t reatment, a nd d ecoration i n t he d efinition o f g roups, types, a nd v arieties. T he u se o f t echnological f actors--paste, t emper, f iring, a nd other b asic c haracteristics o f manufacture--is an a rea o f p articular d iversity ( Rice 1 976). One r esult o f these d isparities i s that i t c an b e very d ifficult to d etermine, e ven very g enerally, t he d egree o f s imilarity among p articular types a nd varieties f rom d ifferent regions. R esurrecting t he c oncept o f c eramic s ystems-o riginally p roposed by G ifford ( 1960, 1 976:12), b ut with f ew e xceptions ( Sharer and G ifford 1 970) n ever e laborated by s tudents o f Maya c eramics--provides a t ool f or c ircumventing t he i nhibiting e ffect o f t hese i nconsistencies on comparative a nalysis. A c eramic s ystem, a s defined h ere, c onsists o f homologous t ypes that a re r elated i n t erms o f a spects o f d ecoration: design e lements, e lement e xecution, d esign f ield l ayout, a nd t he l ike. S ystems that embrace a v ariety o f d ecorative t echniques a re p artitioned i nto s ubsystems whose c onstituent types r epresent a s ingle t ype-class. T he t ypes c omprising a c eramic s ystem r epresent a c ontinuous t emporal s pan and, normally, a c ontinuous s patial d istribution. G ifford ( 1976:12) emphasized t he potential o f c eramic s ystems with l imited t ime d epth f or r ecognizing s ynchronic r elationships, p articularly e pisodes o f d iffusion. H e s tressed t he c ontrast b etween c eramic s ystems and c eramic s equences, which a re e ssentially d iachronic c onstructs c onsisting o f d evelopmentally r elated t ypes. The r efined c eramic s ystem c oncept r ecognizes t he l ikelihood t hat many c eramic s ystems will h ave s ubstantial t ime d epth; t his i s p articularly t rue a long t he s outheastern f ringe o f M esoamerica, where many widely d istributed types e xhibit 4 32

C eramic S ystem s considerable temporal

p ersistence.

Whereas G ifford ( 1976:7-12) r eserved the d efinition o f c eramic s ystems f or a s eparate, i ntegrative s tage o f analysis, i t i s more appropriate to i nclude c eramic s ystem a ssignments a s p art o f t he b asic type description, emphasizing the i mportance o f c omparison a t an e arly s tage o f a nalysis. A ssigning a type t o a c eramic s ystem obliges the a nalyst t o r ecord h is o r h er a ssessment o f i ts s imilarities with t ypes f rom n earby s ites a nd a djacent r egions explicitly a nd s ystematically. This p rocedure will a lso p romote c onsistency i n the d efinition o f t ypes and v arieties. B ecause t echnology, f orm, s urface t reatment, a nd decoration a re a ll l ogically i ndependent s ets o f variables, even perfect s tandardization o f t heir analytical r oles i s u nlikely to p roduce t axa that do n ot c ut across patterns o f s imilarity among c eramic a ssemblages. C eramic s ystems p rovide a f ramework f or h ighlighting t hese r elationships t hat m ay otherwise be obscured. C eramic s ystems, f ocusing on s urface t reatment and d ecoration r ather than t echnological a nd c ompositional f eatures, h ave t he p articular a dvantage o f d e-emphasizing variability b ased s olely on t he n ature o f l ocally available r esources; t hey f acilitate t he r ecognition o f r elationships a t t he c onceptual l evel. Ceramic g roups, i n c ontrast, a re at once much more variable i n t erms o f s urface t reatment and decoration a nd much more restricted i n t hat c onstituent t ypes must r epresent a s ingle w are. C eramic s ystems p ermit a much more s ensitive a ssessment o f c eramic s imilarity t han e ither h orizon s tyles, which a re d efined i n t erms o f widely d istributed modes t hat may be o nly l oosely a ssociated, o r c eramic s pheres, which a re b ased on aggregate s imilarities a t t he type l evel among e ntire c eramic c omplexes. At t he s ame t ime, c eramic s ystems provide a s ystematic b asis f or t he r ecognition o f c eramic s pheres. P lotting t he o verlap i n d istribution o f t he c eramic s ystems t hat i nclude a majority o f c ommon t ypes i n a s eries o f c eramic c omplexes would b e a s imple way o f d efining a c eramic s phere. T able 1 presents a s eries o f s pecific c eramic s ystems proposed f or H onduras a nd a djacent areas. T he l ist i s by no m eans exhaustive; s ystem d efinitions a re s ubject to revision ( Urban a nd S chortman, this volume), a nd s ome t ype a ssignments a re p rovisional. T he process o f d efining t hese c eramic s ystems h ighlights anomalies i n e xisting definitions that h ave t ended t o obscure cultural c onnections. The r elationships among the t ypes c omprising t he Copador a nd C hamelecon c eramic s ystems p rovide a n i nstructive example. G ualpopa 4 33

John S .

Table

1 .

Tentative

Ceramic

Sites C eramic S ystems

C hal c huapa

C opan

( Ulua)

U lua P olychrome

Henderson and Ric rdo Agurcia F .

or

Systems

for

Honduras

Regions

M iddle U lua

U lua S an G aspar ( Chichip ate)

V . d e N aco

V . d e S ula

L ake Y ojca

( Ulua) ( Bold G eam . S ula)

U lua B old G eom ./ S ula

B abilcnia C hichip ate ( Olingo)

( Copador)

( Copador)

C opador P olychrome

C opador A rambala * Gualpopa

C opador C opador * Gualpopa C opador: N on-spec. * Caterp illar ( Arambala)

( Copador)

C hamelecon P olychrome

* Gualpopa

* Gualpopa * Cater p illar

( Cha r nele con )

C har nele con

C hilanga T richrame ( Red-onO range w / U sulutan

C hilanga

C hilanga A rturo

C hilanga ( Arturo )

" Char nele con"

" Chasn igua"

V ijagual

C hasnigua D ichrame ( Red-onO range)

" red-ono range" ( Cancique)

* Calix " Char nel( Cancique) e con" ( Loma T arga)

" Chasn igua"

( Cancique )

C hinacla M onochrome ( Orange)

" orange wash" B urdalu S urlo

A guagua * Calix

" Chasn igua" " Santa E lena"

M agdalena R ed-onN atural

P rospero

L a I sla M agdalena M arimba T axiguat S anta R osita

M äsica I ncised

R eina C ruz C ocorico C ementerio

M äsica F ronton C ececapa T amaguapa M äroncho

S umpul D ichrame ( orange " slip" U sulutan )

I zalco I zalco T azulate T utunichapa J ayaque

I zalco

434

" Char nele con" S irena

" MagdaF ronton

" Chasn igua

C hinda ( MeaMbar) ( Urupa)

" Marimba" M äsica ( Carreto) ( Candungo) ( Tiligua)

" Santa E lena"

M uerdalo

C eramic Systems

Table

C eramic S ystem

C hal c huapa

S ulaco D ichrome ( double " slip" U sul., o range o ver w hite)

P uxtla J icalapa C uisnahuat A zacualpa T epecoyo

G oasooran A ngiatu Z oned D iP icacho c hrome C hucuyo ( zones o f O lomega c ontrasting c olor s ep. b y i ncision o r f illet)

C opan

1 ,

cont'd.

M iddle U lua

V . d e N aco

V . d e S ula

L ake Y ojoa

( Bob )

B olo

P acheco " red-onb rown"

G ualcarque Z oned P lastic ( zones o f c ontrasti ng s urf. t reatment s ep. b y i ncision o r f illet)

C olon H ijole L amatepeque C uyan C hapia T ehuiste

B iblio. c itations

S harer 1 978

L ongyear 1 952 V iel 1 983

" Mica Q uemado"

U rban a nd H enderson S chorte t a l. m an , t his 1 979; v ol. U rban 1 986

v ery minor r epresentation, o ften a s e xchange i tem w orking t ype d esignation a ssignment s plit a mong t wo o r m ore s ystems

435

B ogran T epemec hin

B audez & B ecquel in 1 973

J ohn S . H enderson a nd R icardo A gurcia F . Polychrome--initially d efined at Chalchuapa ( Sharer 1 978:51-52) and s ubsequently r ecognized a t C opan ( Viel 1 983:519-520)--has o ften been l ikened to C opador Polychrome. I n t erms o f decoration, a f ew Gualpopa specimens ( especially at Chalchuapa) do c losely r esemble Copador Polychromes, a lbeit without s pecular r ed p aint; most Gualpopa vessels, however, are much more l ike Chamelecon Red-and-black-on-orange vessels from the Naco and Sula valleys. The Caterpillar Policromo type at Copan ( Viel 1 983:519) c onsists o f t ripod p lates with p ainted decoration l ike that o f Gualpopa P olychrome bowls and j ars. The decoration on some of these p lates, which may bear specular r ed paint, i s s imilar to that o f C opador Polychromes, but many ( or most) Caterpillar vessels c losely r esemble Chamelecon Red-and-black-on-orange p lates. Caterpillar a nd Gualpopa vessels at Copan contrast i n paste a s well a s i n f orm and will u ltimately be a ssigned to d ifferent c eramic g roups, whereas h omologous vessels in the Naco valley, w ith no corresponding compositional d ifferences, a re a ssigned to a s ingle Chamelecon Red-andb lack-on-orange type. The r ecognition o f a C hamelecon Polychrome c eramic s ystem calls attention to s imilarities among C lassic period c eramic assemblages f rom Chalchuapa, Copan, t he Naco valley, and the S ula v alley. These s imilarities would o therwise be obscured by r egional variability i n p atterns o f correlation among f actors r elating to technology, f orm, s urface t reatment, and decoration, and by t he variable t axonomic roles a ssigned to these c lasses o f variables i n e ach regional s ystem o f c lassification. CONCLUSION Refinement o f the s ystematics o f c eramic a nalysis r esulting f rom t he 1 985 T ela S eminario and t he 1 986 Honduran Ceramic Workshop will p romote consistency i n f undamental reporting o f data f rom Honduras. The c eramic system c oncept i s o f particularly b road i nterest. I t i s a powerful tool f or c omparative analysis w ith g reat p otential to f acilitate synthetic approaches t o the massive quantities o f ceramic data available from e astern Mesoamerica ( Urban and S chortman, this volume). Wide adoption o f c eramic s ystems as a s tandard a spect o f typevariety analysis would contribute enormously t o our understanding o f r elationships among the Maya and t heir n eighbors.

References AGURCIA F .R., AND J .S. HENDERSON 1 986 " Resultados de l a Mesa Redonda S emina . io de Arqueologia H ondurena," p ress. 4 36

d el T ercer Y axkin, in

C eramic S ystens BAUDEZ, 1 966

C .F. " Niveaux c eramiques au Honduras: une reconside r ation de r evolution culturelle," Journal de l a S ociete d es Americanistes 5 5(2):299-342.

BAUDEZ, 1 973

C .F., AND P . BECQUELIN Archeologie de Los Naranjos, Honduras, Etudes Mesoamericaines 2 , Mission Archeologique et Ethnologique Francaise au Mexique, Mexico.

G IFFORD, 1 960

J .C. " The Type-Variety Method o f Ceramic C lassification as an I ndicator o f Cultural P henomena," American Antiquity 2 5:341-347.

1 976

Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics of Barton Ramie i n the Belize Valley, P eabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

H ENDERSON, J .S., I . STERNS, A . WONDERLY, AND P . URBAN 1 976 " Archaeological I nvestigations i n the Valle de Naco, Northwestern Honduras: A Preliminary Report," Journal of Field Archaeology 6 :169-192. J OYCE, 1 985

R . A. " Cerro Palenque, Valle d el Terminal C lassic I nteraction Mesoamerican P eriphery," Ph.D. o f I llinois, Urbana.

K ENNEDY, 1 980

N .C. " The Formative Period Ceramic Sequence from P laya d e l os Muertos, Honduras," Ph.D. diss., University of I llinois, Urbana.

LONGYEAR, 1 952

R ICE, 1 976

U lua, H onduras: on the Southern diss., University

J . M., I II Copan C eramics: A S tudy o f Southeastern Maya Pottery, Carnegie I nstitution of Washington Publication no. 5 97 ( Washington, D .C.).

P . M. " Rethinking the Antiquity 4 1:538-543.

Ware

Concept,"

American

S HARER, 1 978

R .J. The P rehistory o f 3 . ( Philadelphia, P ress).

S HARER, 1 970

R .J., AND J .C. GIFFORD " Preclassic Ceramics f rom Chalchuapa, S alvador, and their Relationships with the Lowlands," American Antiquity 3 5:441-462.

Chalchuapa, University

4 37

E l Salvador, Vol. o f P ennsylvania

E l Maya

J ohn S . H enderson a nd R icardo A gurcia F .

SMITH,

R . E.,

1 960

G . R.

WILLEY,

AND

" The Type-Variety Analysis of Maya

J . C.

GIFFORD

Concept as a Basis f or the Pottery," American Antiquity

2 5:330-340. URBAN, 1 986

P . " Systems

of

Northwestern of VIEL,

Settlement Honduras,"

i n

the

Ph. D.

Naco

diss.,

Valley,

University

Pennsylvania.

R .

1 978

"Etude

de

l a

Ceramique

U lua-Yojoa

Polychrome

( Nord-Ouest de Honduras): Essai d 'Analyse Stylistique du Babilonia," These de Doctorat, 3 Cycle, Universite Rene Descartes, Paris. 1 983

"Evolucion de preliminares," de

Copan,

Arqueolgico WILLEY, 1 967

l a in

ceramica en Copan: resultados Introduccion a la Arqueologia

Honduras, Copan,

pp.

4 71-549.

P royecto

Tegucigalpa.

G . R., T . P. CULBERT, AND R . E. W. ADAMS "Maya Lowland Ceramics: A Report from t he 1 965 Guatemala City Conference," American Antiquity 3 2:289-315.

4 38

1 8 L a te P rec lass ic D eve lopmen t o f Uns l ipped P o t tery i n t he Maya L ow lands : T he E v idence f rom E l M irador R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

Unslipped p lain and unslipped s triated c eramics a re among t he m ore c ommon t ypes occurring i n c eramic a ssemblages i n t he Maya l owlands. H owever, i n s pite o f t heir f requency i n Maya a ssemblages, l ittle a ttention h as b een given t o t he a nalysis and s tratigraphic c ontext o f t hese c eramics r elative t o t hat g iven s lipped a nd d ecorated p ottery. T hose a nalyses that h ave attempted t o d eal with t he unslipped p ottery h ave b een c ontinually p lagued by a pparent i nconsistencies i n d iagnostic modal a ttributes, i nconsistencies i n t he a ssignment o f e stablished t ypes t o c hronological phases, and f rustration with the g eneral c onfusion t hat e xists i n t he d escription o f u nslipped c eramics i n t he M aya l owlands ( Pring 1 977:63-64, 2 32). I t appears t hat t he i nability t o defince c onsistent, c hronologically s ignificant boundaries or d iagnostics t hroughout t he P reclassic portion o f t he l owland s equence h as caused analysts e ither t o l ump these c eramics i nto i nclusive t ypes t hat p ersist t hrough a l engthy p eriod o f t ime ( e.g., Adams [ 1971] a nd Culbert's [ in p rep.] d efinition o f A chiotes U nslipped throughout t he whole P reclassic s equence) or t o a rbitrarily define s eparate t ypes ( and e ven s eparate c eramic g roups) on t he b asis o f a ssociation with s lipped c eramics ( e.g., Smith a nd G ifford's [ 1966] s eparation o f Achiotes a nd P aila U nslipped). This s ituation probably a rises because t he major i nterest i n c eramic a nalysis f or many a rchaeologists i s c hronological control and i ntersite c omparison. The p rimary c haracteristics f or e stablishing s uch c ontrols u sing ceramics h ave been s urface f inish and vessel f orm. H owever, u nslipped c eramics, u nlike the s lipped pottery, a re generally dominated by a s ingle overall f orm--necked j ars--and t he s urface f inish c haracteristics o f t he u nslipped pott2ry h ave not b een s ufficiently d istinctive t o permit f ine-grained c hronological o r r egional 4 39

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth d ifferentiation. I n s hort, unslipped ceramics have r eceived relatively l ittle attention by c eramicists b ecause analysts have apparently not been able to observe c hronologically s ignificant d iagnostics t hat would make them u seful in periodization. As a result, u nslipped c eramics have generally b een c lassified on the b asis o f their association with s lipped ceramics rather than on the b asis of their own modal characteristics.

UNSLIPPED PRECLASSIC CERAMICS

I N THE MAYA LOWLANDS

Unslipped c eramics appear w ith the earliest c eramics r ecovered f rom the Maya l owlands. The earliest types are u nslipped p lain or pattern-burnished vessels o f t he Copetilla ceramic group in the Swasey and B laden c omplexes at Cuello ( Pring 1 977:88-103; Kosakowsky 1 983:96-104). This pottery, however, d iffers f rom l ater u nslipped c eramics in b earing well-smoothed s urfaces ( Pring 1 977:881 03; Kosakowsky 1 983:96-104). Apart f rom t he early pottery o f northern Belize, and p erhaps Yucatan ( Brainerd 1 958:24), t he earliest u nslipped c eramics f rom t he l owlands appear to be unslipped plain, roughly smoothed pottery o f Uaxactun Unslipped w are. I n P eten this i s g enerally c lassified as Achiotes U nslipped ( Smith and Gifford 1 966:170; Adams 1 971:18-19; S abloff 1 975:46-47; B all 1 977a:8; Rice 1 979:13, 2 3; Chase 1 984:27; Culbert, i n prep.:E14,Tz9), a lthough other types, s uch a s P alma Daub ( Smith a nd Gifford 1 966:170; G ifford 1 976:697 1; R ice 1 979:13; Chase 1 984:27; Culbert, in prep.:Tz12), and Canhel Unslipped ( Culbert, i n prep. : E16) a lso occur. U axactun Unslipped ware apparently begins in X e horizon t imes, but c ontinues i nto t he Mamom horizon. I n Belize t he s ituation i s s omewhat more complex, a lthough R ichardson P eak U nslipped ( Pring 1 977:156-160; K osakowsky 1 983:207-211) f rom northern B elize appears to c ompare f avorably with Achiotes Unslipped f rom c entral P eten i n t erms o f s urface f inish a nd variety of f orms. H owever, Jocote Orange-brown, r eported f rom Barton Ramie, r emains s omewhat anomalous ( Gifford 1 976:67-68). Unslipped p lain c eramics apparently continued i nto Late P reclassic t imes with relatively f ew changes i n g eneral f orm and s urface f inish. H owever, the r elative i nattention g iven to unslipped c eramics i n g eneral h as l ed to c onsiderable c onfusion i n t erms o f the type-variety t axonomic s tructure o f these ceramics. Smith a nd G ifford ( 1966:170-172) made t he f irst systematic attempt t o apply the type-variety system ( Gifford 1 976) to Maya c eramics. Thus they c lassified t he Uaxactun p ottery p reviously r eported by Smith ( 1955) into types, varieties, g roups, wares, and complexes. The c eramic c omplexes were

4 40

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador e ssentially equivalent to the p hases defined i n Smith's 1 955 report. On theoretical grounds ( Gifford 1 963:24), the types and g roups defined were held to be unique to any g iven c omplex i n a lmost every case ( the Late C lassic unslipped pottery was an exception). Thus t he unslipped p lain pottery o f t he Chicanel complex ( Paila Unslipped) was distinguished typologically f rom that o f the Mamom horizon ( Achiotes Unslipped), a lthough i t was n ot specified what c ombination o f a ttributes s eparated t hem f rom one another. I n s hort, unslipped p lain ceramics f ound with Mamom s lipped ceramics were c lassified a s Achiotes, and t hose f ound with Chicanel s lipped c eramics were Paila. S ome a nalysts ( e.g., Chase 1 984) h ave continued this pattern. Gifford ( 1976) a lso d ifferentiated J enny Creek and Barton Creek unslipped c eramics o n a t ypological l evel. O thers, s uch a s Adams ( 1971) and Culbert ( in prep.), have chosen to s tress what they apparently r egard a s t ypological continuity i n unslipped p lain c eramics by u sing Achiotes Unslipped f or both the Mamom and Chicanel h orizon examples. An analogous pattern i s s een i n northern Belize with t he Richardson P eak U nslipped type ( Pring 1 977; K osakowsky 1 983). I n s ome cases t hese differing approaches may r eflect r eal d ifferences between t he content o f t he c ollections being examined. However, i n o ther c ases i t i s apparently t he r esult o f insufficient attention being paid to t he unslipped p lain c eramics to d etermine whether there might be attributes t hat consistently differentiate the e arly from the l ate examples o n a typological b asis. I n s ome c ases, a t l east ( e.g., R ichardson P eak Unslipped), such differences apparently do n ot exist ( Kosakowsky 1 983:210-211). A s omewhat d ifferent pattern emerges with r espect to unslipped s triated pottery. There appears to be a g reat deal o f variation across the Maya l owlands with r espect to the occurrence o f t his k ind o f s urface f inish. I n northern B elize, f or example, unslipped s triated c eramics appear quite l ate i n the P reclassic s equence. At Cuello they f irst occur l ate i n t he Cocos ( Chicanel horizon) complex ( Pring 1 977:65; Kosakowsky 1 983:267). At Cerros ( Robertson-Freidel 1 980:109-110; Robertson 1 983:110), S apote S triated o ccurs in very small quantities i n e arly Chicanel ( Ixtabai c omplex) t imes, but becomes quantitatively i mportant only l ater i n t he s equence ( C'oh and Tulix c omplexes). However, s triation on unslipped s urfaces does o ccur i n s ome quantity in early C hicanel t imes ( Robertson-Freidel 1 980:40-47). On the other hand, unslipped s triated pottery i s quite common i n J enny C reek deposits at B arton Ramie ( Gifford 1 976:71-73) a nd c ontinues i nto t he Late P reclassic with the appearance o f S apote Striated ( Gifford 1 976:106-108).

to

I n P eten a id adjoining r egions s triated c eramics t end o ccur s omewhat l ater than unslipped p lain pottery, but 4 41

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth c onsiderably e arlier t han i n northern B elize. S triation o ccurs i n t he S an F elix complex a t A ltar de S acrificios ( Adams 1 971:19), i n Eb t imes a t T ikal ( Culbert, i n p rep.:E16), i n the Acachen c omplex a t Becan ( Ball 1 977a:10, 1 3) and, a lthough n ot p reviously r eported, a t U axactun i n t he Mamom c omplex ( personal observation, P eabody Museum and Guatemala C ity; a lso s ee Culbert, i n p rep.:E16). At the l atter s ite, however, i t i s apparently n ot c ommon. On t he other h and, s triated c eramics do not s eem t o a ppear i n t he s equence a t S eibal until C hicanel t imes ( Sabloff 1 975). I n much o f t he northern l owlands u nslipped s triated c eramics appear a t l east a s e arly a s u nslipped p lain p ottery ( Ball 1 977b:104; F orsyth 1 983:29, 3 1). E l M irador s eems to f ollow the g eneral Peten p attern o f s triated c eramics a ppearing e arly i n t he P reclassic s equence a t t he s ite. But the l ack o f pure deposits o f M iddle P reclassic c eramics p recludes a c lear determination o f j ust when s uch p ottery b egan t o b e used. ( Middle P reclassic d eposits were r ecovered d uring t he 1 982 s eason, but were not available to u s at the t ime o f this s tudy.) Whatever t he actual s ituation a t E l Mirador a nd other s ites, i t i s c lear t hat t he t raditional type-variety t ypology a s i t h as b een applied t o u nslipped c eramics i s o f l ittle u se i n s pecifying chronologically s ignificant d ifferences i n the u nslipped pottery at t he s ite. This p aper i s a n a ttempt t o i nvestigate the development o f u nslipped pottery f rom Late P reclassic c ontexts r ecovered f rom w ell-stratified deposits at E l M irador, Guatemala, to d etermine i f s ignificant c hanges i n unslipped p ottery o ccurred during t he development o f t he L ate P reclassic.

CONTEXTS AND METHODS E l M irador i s l ocated i n north-central P eten a pproximately 1 00 km d irectly n orth o f the modern t own o f F lores ( Fig. 1 ). The s ite c enter c onsists o f a c oncentration o f monumental a rchitecture i n dense f ormation c overing a n a rea o f approximately 6 .16 s q. km. E xplorations have r evealed concentrations o f architecture a t t he end o f r adiating c auseways, s uggesting t hat the a rea o f s ignificant architecture may be s ubstantially l arger. The m ajor a rchitecture i s d ivided i nto two g eographical a reas, the east group and t he west group. The western p ortion o f the s ite i s dominated by t he T igre and Monos p yramids ( 55 m a nd 4 5 m h igh, r espectively) and a ssociated s tructures ( Fig. 2 ), while the e astern p art o f the s ite i s marked by t he l arge D anta pyramid. S ix f ield s easons o f e xcavations and explorations i n this a rea have r evealed t hat t he s ite was constructed and o ccupied p rimarily i n t ie P reclassic period ( Forsyth 1 980; Matheny e t a l. 1 980; Howell 1 983; D emarest et a l. 1 984; H ansen 4 42

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4 44

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador 1 984) a lthough bporadic evidence f or l imited Protoclassic, Early C lassic, and Late C lassic populations h ave been f ound within and around the s ite center. Excavations a t E l Mirador have yielded r ich ( on the order of 1 000-2500 sherds per cubic meter) yet f inely s tratified d eposits o f Late Preclassic pottery. Moreover, we a lso have a l arge number o f radiocarbon dates f rom t hese excavations that are i nternally c onsistent and parallel t he dating o f the s lipped ceramics of t he Late Preclassic period a t other previously reported s ites. Our basic approach to the s tudy o f the unslipped c eramics was, therefore, to chart carefully the occurrence and f requency o f r ecognizable modes and forms in terms o f s tratigraphic context, corresponding ceramic a ssociations, and the s equence o f chronometric dates. I t was our i ntention to compare the patterns of change derived from this procedure to other previously investigated s ites. However, t his p roved extremely difficult to do because detailed provenience data are r arely provided in the s tandard c eramic i llustrations. This i s, i n our opinion, a s ignificant deficiency that n eeds to be rectified in f uture c eramic r eporting. Nevertheless, we have attempted to p rovide what comparative data we could f ind in the l iterature.

DATING THE TIGRE AREA The e arliest permanent inhabitants o f E l Mirador i dentified to date probably appeared during the Middle P reclassic period, as suggested by c arbon samples, i solated c eramics, and the l ocation o f Mamom horizon deposits in the C entral Acropolis and Monos regions of the s ite. However, t his period i s poorly known, and as yet no architectural f eatures have been demonstrably a ssociated with this occupation. By at l east the beginning of the L ate Preclassic period ( ca. 3 00 BC) ( Beta 3 166, Beta 1 2238, Beta 1 2239, UCLA OHL # 10394), s ascab p laza f loors were being constructed, surrounded by modest p ublic architecture and small domiciles o f s imple c onstruction ( Hansen 1 984:480-481). This earliest period, which we will call " LPC 1 " for convenience, l asted until a bout 2 00 BC, when massive c onstruction p rojects were i nitiated throughout the s ite ( Howell 1 983:204; Hansen 1 984:482). This public architecture was i n u se until approximately AD 1 50 or 2 00, after which there was a marked decrease in population and a h iatus in a rchitectural c onstruction. Changes i n the s lipped c eramics, g iven t he excellent stratigraphy and associated r adiocarbon dates, particularly f rom the T igre area, have made it possible to divide the s equence i nto two c eramically distinct periods. One of these ( LPC 2 ) ranges f rom about 2 00 B C to approximately AD 5 0 ( Beta 1 965, Beta 4 45

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth 5 550, B eta 5 55L ", Beta 5 554, UCLA O HL # 10395, 1 0396) a nd i s marked b y s tandard Chicanel f orms and s lips. T he other ( LPC 3 ), dating f rom AD 5 0 t o c a. AD 1 50, y ielded quantities o f s lipped c eramics c haracteristic o f t he T erminal P reclassic, s uch a s t he i ntroduction o f p seudoU sulutan d ecoration and hooked r im modes, and a d ecline i n t he quality o f paste t exture a nd S ierra Red s lips. Mammiform t etrapods, polychromes, miniature v essels, g lossy and dull o ranges, and e ffigy p aintings do n ot s eem to appear before approximately AD 1 50-200. The extent and nature o f t he s tratigraphy a nd c hronometric dates a ssociated with the c onstruction a nd abandonment o f the a rchitecture a nd p laza constructions p rovide a n early i deal s etting f or the analysis o f the c hronological variation o f L ate P reclassic u nslipped c eramics. The c hronological evaluations o f the u nslipped p lain a nd unslipped s triated p ottery a re b ased on e xisting available data, p rimarily f rom t he western area o f the s ite, a nd a re presented h ere a s a potential p attern o f d evelopment t hat may b e duplicated at other lowland Maya s ites. Whether or n ot the p attern f ound in t he T igre c omplex and other a reas o f E l Mirador will hold t rue f or o ther Maya s ites i s a question that c an b e answered only i f Maya c eramicists attempt to analyze t he L ate P reclassic u nslipped pottery f rom t heir s ites i n a manner a nalogous to that described here.

THE UNSLIPPED

CERAMICS

FROM EL MIRADOR

Unslipped c eramics examined i n o ur s tudy came f rom a l arge number o f a rchaeological c ontexts. These i nclude small p laza g roups n ear Monos p yramid ( Op. 2 1G, 2 1H), s imilar g roups to t he s outh ( Op. 1 6) and north ( Op. 7 0) o f T igre pyramid, t he " Cross-roads" area ( Op. 1 5) a t the j unction o f t he c auseways t o t he west o f t he l arge a rchitectural complexes, the immediate v icinity o f T igre ( Op. 2 6, 3 2, 3 5, 3 6), the Great P laza area t o the n orth o f the C entral Acropolis ( Op. 2 7), t he e arthwork construction i n t he s ite c enter n ear Aguada B olocante ( Op. 1 9), the P reclassic m iddens l ocated beneath t he s mall Late C lassic c ommunity o f LacNa ( Op. 1 7), and on D anta pyramid ( Op. 3 0, 3 1, 3 3) i n t he eastern s ection o f t he s ite. However, the best f ine-grained s tratigraphic c ontrol comes f rom excavations i n t he area around t he T igre c omplex ( see F ig. 2 ). These e xcavations c onsisted o f s tratigraphic test p its, deep c uts to expose a rchitectural f eatures, broad horizontal e xcavations to expose a rchitectural e lements and i conography, and t unnels. P reclassic c eramics were r ecovered i n a ll o f these excavations, and pure d eposits were f ound on f loors, i n extensive m iddens, below f loors, and i n s tructural f ill t hroughout t he Tigre a rea, e stablishing a t erminus post quem f or t he c onstruction and u se o f t he v isible monumental architecture a round T igre. 4 46

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador The c eramics f rom d eep p enetrations i n t he C entral Acropolis ( Op. 4 0) a nd on Monos pyramid ( Op. 5 0) were n ot available f or t his s tudy, a lthough t he r esults would h ave s ubstantially c ontributed t o o ur analysis, b ecause they y ielded well-stratified M iddle P reclassic materials. Unslipped c eramics a ccounted f or 2 7% o f t he 3 0,000 sherds c lassified f rom t he T igre a rea a lone, w ith a bout 2 2% consisting o f s triated a nd 5 % u nslipped p lain pottery. This r atio s eems t o b e f airly c onsistent throughout t he s tratigraphic c olumns i n this s ection o f the s ite. I n o ur analysis, i t s oon became apparent t hat s urface f inish c haracteristics, by themselves, p rovided no s ignificant c hronological i nformation. For t his r eason, the s tandard t ypological c ategories employed b y M aya c eramicists and d iscussed i n the p receding s ection were o f l ittle value f or o ur purposes. P aste d ifferences l ikewise f ailed t o p roduce c onsistent p atterns o f c hange o ver t ime. The only u seful f eature i n t he T igre s amples was r im f orm . Within s uch r im f orm c ategories, h owever, t he p attern o f s triation, a nd o ccasionally p aste, was s ometimes s ignificant. O ur a pproach, t herefore, was to a nalyze c hanges i n r im f orm t hrough t he s tratigraphic p rofiles, t aking i nto a ccount t he b racketing d ates i n t erms o f t he t hree c hronological p eriods we have i solated i n the Late P reclassic ( LPC 1 -3) a s w ell a s a " Protoclassic" p eriod ( see F igs. 3 a nd 4 f or e xamples o f t he stratigraphic p rofiles and r im f orms, a nd T able 1 f or p roveniences o f r im p rofiles i llustrated i n this p aper). A s eries o f 1 6 p rofile o r f orm g roups h ave been i dentified. T hese we h ave l abeled u sing the l etter d esignations A t hrough P . G roups A a nd B a re r esidual c ategories t hat a ppear t hroughout t he t hree c hronological p eriods r epresented i n t he T igre a rea. T he f ollowing d iscussion i s t hus p resented i n t erms o f v essel s hape d ifferences, e ssentially r im profiles, and i s a rranged i n g eneral c hronological o rder f rom early to l ate. F or s ome o f our g roups w e p rovide c omparative i nformation t o e xamples i llustrated f rom o ther s ites. T hese c omparative d ata a re i n n o way exhaustive, however. A more thorough s earch o f the p ublished l iterature would d oubtless y ield f urther c omparative i nformation. Moreover, f or r easons s tated p reviously, we c ould n ot a lways be c ertain o f the s tratigraphic a nd c ontextual s tatus o f t he c omparative s herds. Therefore, it i s s ometimes d ifficult t o d etermine w hether o r n ot t hese examples correspond c hronologically a nd s equentially to t hose o f E l M irador. G roups

AB

Group A . c haracterized

The b y

T hick S tandard r estricted n eck 4 47

g roup ( 11+ r ims) i s v essels w ith s hort

s tratigraphic

R ichard D . H ansen a nd Donald W . Forsyth

448

L ate P reclassic U ns l ipped P ottery f rom E l M irador

4 E L M IRADOR

E L M IRADOR

OPERAT ION 3 2 T RENCH B N o r th B au lk R ICHARD D . HANSEN

OPERAT ION 3 2 T rench B E as t B au lk R ICHARD D . HANSEN 5

• L OT 0 1

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f laring r ims a nd a c eramic wall t hickness, r anging f rom 1 .1 cm t o 1 .7 cm, which c ontinues through the n eck and onto the r im ( Fig. 5 a-f). T he paste r anges i n c olor f rom dark gray-brown t o l ight b rown, and f rom b rownish r ed t o orange, o ften w ith smudged a nd smoked a reas. T emper a lso r anges f rom s herd t emper t o coarse l imestone g rit. The thick-walled s herds t end to be f ound i n e arlier c ontexts t han t he Thin s tandard g roup ( B; s ee below) i n n early a ll c ases, while t he d arker p aste i s g enerally e arlier t han 4 49

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

A

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t he l ight-colored paste. d istribution o f p lain and s triated e xamples s how a s triated.

S amples i ndicate a uniform s triated f inishes, a lthough t endency to be horizontally

Group B . The Thin Standard group ( 15+ rims) consist o f s herds r ecovered f rom l ate M iddle Preclassic to P rotoclassic d eposits, a lthough as a group t hey tend to be l ess numerous i n early contexts t han t he Thick S tandard 4 50

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador group ( Fig. 5 g-m). The variations in color, texture, and temper s eem to h ave l ittle consistency, as noted above, except that in our samples, earlier thin walled restricted vessels t ended to be unslipped p lain. This i s in contrast to t he general p attern f or e arly c ontexts at the s ite, because i n a ll b ut one c ase unslipped s triated sherds vastly outnumber unslipped p lain sherds ( Hansen 1 984:4244 35). This does s uggest, however, that t hin walled unslipped vessels i n t he early Late Preclassic tended to be unslipped p lain. The variations o f s triations noted at other s ites a s p ossible d istinctions f or e stablishing types or varieties ( Pring 1 975:5) do not s eem applicable here because p lain necks and vertically striated necks are f ound through t he s tratigraphic columns. This group appears to be s olidly within the Late Preclassic i nventory by at l east 2 00 BC and remained i n vogue until approximately AD 2 00. Groups

C-F

( ca.

3 00-200

BC)

Group C . T he e arliest c onsistent r im f orm at E l Mirador, both i n terms o f c hronometric and relative dating, i s a r elatively s traight necked r estricted vessel ( Fig. 5n-q). T he vertical n ecks r ise f rom 2 to 3 cm f rom t he body o f t he v essel ( Fig. 5 n-o), while r im diameters r ange from 9 -14 cm, with s ome o ccasionally l arger. A c ommon variant o f t his f orm has only a s light outcurving o f the r im ( Fig. 5 p, q ). P aste colors r ange f rom p inkishb rown to brownish-gray, and most t empers appear to be l imestone grit, a lthough s everal s herd t empered examples were noted. T he distribution between s triated and unstriated vessels was n early equal. I n addition, most s triated vessels were vertically s triated, a lthough s everal horizontally s triated s herds were noted ( Op. 2 6K0 6). This was e specially the case where the vessel necks were short ( Fig. 5 p, q ). Comparison: This f orm was f ound i n Tr. E -3 and the l owest l evels o f P it A-8 ( Late Preclassic) at Aguacatal and l isted a s I sla Aguada S triated ( Matheny 1 970:47-48, F ig. 2 7gg-hh). I t a lso o ccurs i n t he S apote ceramic g roup a t A ltar de Sacrificios i n S an F elix t imes ( Adams 1 971: Chart 2 e; a lso s ee P ring [ 1976: F ig. 5 1r, s ] for R ichardson P eak Unslipped and Nelson [ 1973: F ig. 7 0b] for a D zibilnocac I I example). Group D . T his group comprises another s eries o f very e arly Late Preclassic f orms with p robable antecedents i n t he Middle P reclassic ( Fig. 6 a-j). These f orms have s hallow, s hort, f lared necks on restricted vessels. The r im extends 1 .5 to 2 cm from the upper exterior neck o f t he vessel, w ith only s light f laring o f the r im. Rim d iameters r anged f rom 9 -19 cm. Over 6 0% ( 12) o f the r ims were striated J essels with vertical s triation ( Fig. 6 eh ). A c ommon v ariant o f this f orm f eatured the extension 4 51

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

0

0

F ig.

6 .

Form g roup D .

o f the s triations to the r ims ( Fig. 6 e-g). The s everal f orms with horizontal s triations w ere in collapse rubble f rom l ater contexts ( Op. 2 6A-11, O p. 1 9A-06), so whether this p articular mode t urns out t o b e c hronologically d iagnostic a s a whole i s n ot a s y et certain. Apparently both v ertical a nd horizontal s triations c an be f ound on the s ame vessel ( Fig. 6 d). 4 52

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador Comparison: C eramic f orms o f t his group have been recovered i n both Middle and Late P reclassic c ontexts throughout much o f the Maya l owlands, verifying i ts widespread d istribution ( Smith 1 955: F ig. 1 5a5; Matheny 1 970: Fig. 2 7mm, nn; Adams 1 971: Chart 3 g; P ring 1 976: Fig. 3 3g-k). Group E . Another e arly f orm in the Late P reclassic s equence at E l M irador i s t he unslipped t ecomate ( Fig. 7 af ). These neckless vessels have been f ound i n deep s tratified c ontexts t hroughout the s ite with a variety of paste colors and t empers o f l imestone grit and sherds. Approximately 8 0% o f the known examples are s triated, o f which 6 6% are h orizontally s triated. S triations begin between 2 mm and 1 cm from the r im ( average = 8 mm). R im d iameters r ange f rom 1 0-14 cm. S imilar r im f orms were a lso recovered b y Demarest and Sharer ( Demarest 1 984:76) in t heir t est p it p rogram at the s ite. Comparison: Ball ( 1977a: F ig. 2 1) i dentifies a herringbone-striated r im at B ecan a s P akluum S apote S triated. Adams ( 1971: F ig. 9 z) c onsidered a nother example to belong to the S an F elix complex. This f orm has b een f ound i n Mamom and T zakol deposits at Uaxactun ( Smith 1 955: F ig. 1 5b1, 6 9b5) and i n the J enny Creek complex ( Jocote O range-brown) a t Barton Ramie ( Gifford 1 976: F ig. 1 6a). T ecomate f orms a re much more common i n s lipped f orms in P reclassic t imes in the l owlands, but unslipped examples, a s i ndicated a bove, a re f ound. I n the Maya h ighlands, however, antecedents are much more c ommon ( Sharer 1 978: F ig. 7 a3--Cinquera Brushed). Group F . T his r im f orm was f ound i n t he e arliest s tratified d eposits i n t he T igre a rea ( Op. 3 2B-24/59), d ating s ome t ime before 3 00 BC, a nd was s ealed below the l owest s ascab p laza f loor i n the T igre P laza. This d istinct f orm f eatures a p ronounced prefiring i ncised g roove that e ncircles the r im o f f laring n ecked vessels ( Fig. 7 g-m). I ts occurrence in other P reclassic deposits on the eastern s ide o f the s ite ( Fig. 7 i-k) and the s imilar mode o f s lipped e arly vessels and t rue negative r esist bowls ( Hansen 1 984:585, F ig. 5 /18m) s uggest that t he form was c learly e stablished i n the early pottery mode r epertoire. This f orm d id n ot o ccur in our s amples f rom t he subsequent p eriod ( ca. 2 00 B C - AD 5 0), b ut i t r eappeared in " LPC 3 " around AD 1 00-150. H owever, the l ater examples d iffer f rom the Group F pottery i n paste color and texture, a lthough i t i s n ot c lear, b ecause o f t he l imited s ample s ize, whether or not such d ifferences a re consistent. This c onstitutes a n example o f a p articular form that apparently d isappeared, only t o r eappear at a l ater t ime i n s omewhat modified f orm ( see F ig. 1 0m).

4 53

R ichard D .

H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

•"•

1

•

• • •• • • ••.• • • •

a

l l

I= 0

Fig.

7 .

‘

\

MIR

Form groups

IMO

M i l l

‘ . 1

1

MI M IM I I NM NM I OM MI 5 1 0 cm

E-G .

4 54

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador Comparison: This form i s most commonly i dentified in the l iterature a s a T zakol horizon shape ( Smith 1 955: F ig. 1 7c6; Adams 1 971: F ig. 3 4a; S abloff 1 975:Figs. 1 94g, j -1, 1 95b-d; Forsyth 1 983: F ig. 2 1a-f). I t apparently a lso occurs on t he P rotoclassic horizon ( Adams 1 971: Fig. 2 5b; Gifford 1 976: F ig. 7 5a). Ball ( 1977a: F ig. 2 e), however, found it in Pakluum deposits at Becan; and Forsyth reports it i n Middle P reclassic c ontext at Edzna ( Forsyth 1 983: Fig. 7x), a s d oes Gifford ( 1976: F ig. 1 7b) at Barton Ramie. I t a lso o ccurs i n the Mount Hope complex at Barton Ramie ( Gifford 1 976: F igs. 5 6d, 5 7b). Groups

G-K

( ca.

2 00

BC

- AD

5 0)

Group G . T he modal attributes of Group G are f ound in t he middle L ate P reclassic period ( Fig. 7 n-t), with one example a ssociated w ith a radiocarbon date o f 2 00 BC +/8 0 ( uncorrected). The f orm generally c onsists o f a j ar with a t all, v ertical neck and a pronounced everted r im, though the vessel n eck will s lightly f lare on occasion ( Fig. 7 n, s , t ). The p aste i s generally coarse, with colors ranging f rom brownish-gray to reddish b rown to a l ight-red paste. The temper tends to be coarse l imestone grit, though a c rystalline temper was f ound i n o ne s herd. Surface t reatments a re d ivided evenly, with 5 0% s triated and 5 0% unslipped p lain. S triations vary b etween both horizontal and d iagonal brushings. Comparison: This f orm occurs i n both Mamom and Chicanel d eposits a t Uaxactun ( Smith 1 955: F igs. 1 4b 1 2, 1 3, 1 5a4) and i n Late Preclassic context a t B arton Ramie ( Gifford 1 976: F igs. 4 5c, 4 7h). Group H . B y t he middle o f t he L ate P reclassic period, a r elatively rare but distinct modal f orm i s evident i n t he s tratigraphic record at the s ite. This group ( Fig. 8 a-d) h as decoration at t he base o f t he s hort, f lared n eck. This decoration was f ormed by p lacing f inger or thumbprints o n a small, protruding horizontal f lange immediately below the neck ( Fig. 8 a, b ), f orming impressions approximately 6 mm apart. Another variant o f this has a small f lute around the neck base ( Fig. 8 c), or in a nother case a r ow o f small punctated p erforations on the exterior b ody a t the base o f the f laring neck ( Fig. 8d). Paste c olor varies f rom l ight gray or g ray-brown to a d ark brownish g ray, with temper ranging f rom c oarse sand and f ine c rystalline c alcite to a c oarse l imestone grit. Surface treatment i s i nvariably unslipped p lain. Comparison: A lthough a r elatively rare f orm at E l Mirador, t his m ode i s both f airly c ommon and early at other sites. S abloff ( 1975: F ig. 2 9) n oted impressed examples a t S eibal, and G ifford ( 1976: F ig. 4 5h, j ) reports t he f o , :m f rom Barton C reek d eposits. S imilar examples have b een f ound a t Uaxactun ( Ricketson a nd 4 55

R ichard D .

H ansen a nd D onald W . Forsyth

.

M IN 0

Fig.

8 .

M IM I

NB

Form g roups

I NN

1 13 1

B IM 5

H-K .

4 56

MI

MI

NM

Ma l 1 0cm

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador Ricketson

1 937:

2 ig.

1 48b).

Group I . T his i s a r are f orm a t the s ite. T he d iagnostic a ttribute o f t his f orm i s t he wide everted r im on r estricted n eck v essels. T he pronounced r im f lares 4 to 5 cm f rom t he neck-body j unction i n r adical f ashion s o a s t o appear a lmost horizontal ( Fig. 8 e-g). P aste c olor varies f rom r ed to l ight r eddish-brown with i ncomplete oxidation. I nclusions c onsist o f l arge s and a nd l imestone grit and a n u nknown f ine t emper. A s was t he c ase w ith Group H , a ll e xteriors a re u nslipped p lain a nd well smoothed. This g roup w as r ecovered f rom excellent midden c ontexts ( Op. 3 2B-21, 3 2C-02, 1 6A-2-19). Group J . T his g roup i s a lso rare i n t he T igre a rea, but the s tratigraphic a ssociation s uggests s trongly t hat i t d ates to a s lightly l ater t ime than g roups G -I. A diagnostic mode c onsists o f two shallow h orizontal f lutes on the exterior or u nderside o f s hort, f laring r ims ( Fig. 8 h-j). A ll s urface f inishes a re u nslipped p lain, a nd paste c olor i s a consistent g rayish-brown, with t emper r anging f rom l imestone g rit t o l arge c oarse s and a nd a f ine, but u ndetermined, m aterial. Group K . D uring t he middle o f the L ate P reclassic a distinctive unslipped p lain a nd s triated bowl f orm ( Fig. 8 k-n) appeared i n t he T igre s equence. This f orm i s characterized b y c ontiguous b road, s hallow f lutes o n t he upper i nterior f ace o f t he b owl, a nd on the f lat upper s urface o f t he r im . The m ajor d ifference between t his form a nd t he l ater s lipped f orms o f t he T erminal Preclassic-Protoclassic i s t he t hickening o f t he v essel walls near t he r im ( Fig. 8 k, m , n ). S triated examples have v ertical s triations, u sually b eginning 1 .5-2 cm below the exterior r im. P aste c olor r anges f rom g rayishbrown to grayish-black, w ith a s ingle example h aving a l ight brown p aste c olor. T emper c onsists o f l arge q uartz s and p articles, c rushed s herds, and undetermined materials. Groups

L -N

( ca.

AD

5 0-150)

Group L . G roup L c onstitutes a c ollection o f 8 unslipped bowls t hat, w ith t he exception o f F ig. 9 a, appear r ather s uddenly i n the c eramic s equence, apparently at and a fter t he t ime o f Christ ( Fig. 9 a-h). T hese f latbottomed b owls r ange i n h eight f rom 3 to 4 cm, w ith r im d iameters ranging f rom 1 6 t o 2 0 cm. Roughly 7 5% o f t he s ample b ore u nslipped p lain s urfaces, while t he r emaining 2 5% had h orizontal s triations. One v essel ( Fig. 9 a) varies i n f orm ( deep b owl, t hick walls, r im f lute), composition ( coarse, u nknown t emper), and p aste c olor ( dark brownish-red w ith external smudging) f rom t he other s amples, a nd c otes f rom a s ealed m idden w ith a r adiocarbon date e arlier t han 2 00 B C. W ith t he exception o f t his 4 57

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

P t F ig.

9 .

Form groups

L -M.

example ( Fig. 9 a), the f lat b ottomed bowls date l ate i n t he s equence, e specially t he vessels w ith curving side walls, which a re f ound i n very l ate c ontexts. The general p aste color r anges f rom r eddish-brown to brownish-gray, while the t emper i s e ither o f l imestone g rit o r u ndetermined. Comparison: At T ikal, G ifford ( 1976:126) noted the appearance of unslipped bowls during C auac t imes. Culbert 4 58

L ate P reclassic U ns l ipped P ottery f rom E l M irador ( in prep.:Ca9, C i13) i ndicates that the f orm begins in Cauac times at T ikal and continues through t he end o f the Cimi phase. Adams ( 1971: F ig. 9 5b, Chart 3 ,2c) a lso reports a s imilar f orm of unslipped dish or bowl at A ltar de S acrificios. I n the n orthern l owlands, both B all ( 1977a: F ig. 2 j-k) and Forsyth ( 1983: F ig. 1 6o-p) r eport this r im f orm a s o ccurring on Sapote Striated vessels. Group M . By t he end o f Late Preclassic t imes ( ca. AD 1 00), very l arge, unslipped vessels with thick walls, and s lightly f lared r ims, r anging i n thickness f rom 1 .2 to nearly 3 cm, w ere i ntroduced ( Fig. 9 i-n). The s lightly f lared neck or r im i s an important diagnostic mode i n distinguishing t his f orm f rom the " Thick S tandard" f orm of Group A , which h as a much more pronounced f laring neck. About 7 5% o f the Group M r ims are horizontally s triated, while 2 5% a re p lain. P aste c olor ranges f rom reddishbrown to l ight brown, and most tempers appear to be a f ine l imestone grit. The s izes o f t he v essels a re impressive, with known r im d iameters r anging between 1 9 and 2 6 cm, and s everal forms probably exceed this. Group N . Another l ate d iagnostic mode i s the r im f orm bearing an e ncircling horizontal groove s ituated on the exterior s ide o f the r im to f orm a l abial r idge ( Fig. 1 0a-e). This f orm d iffers f rom the somewhat s imilar and earlier f orm i n Group K i n that among other things, the vessel wall t ends to r emain thick immediately below the ridge, so that the vessel body i s t hicker than t he r im above it. Paste c olor r anges f rom l ight brown to l ight gray-brown, with r ather coarse t extures a nd l imestone grit tempers. One e xample ( Fig. 1 0a) h ad an a rea o f l ime encrusted on t he i nterior and e xterior walls; i t may have been covered with s tucco at one t ime. Groups

0-P

( post-AD

1 50)

Group 0 . G roup 0 i s very l ate i n the T igre s equence and can be i dentified by the t hinning and narrowing o f the vessel walls n ear t he r im ( Fig. 1 0f-1). This o ften i ncludes a n early vertical r estricted neck with a horizontal " flute" on the upper interior r im , creating the " hooked r im" e ffect ( Fig. 1 0f, k , 1 ). This mode i s modified s omewhat i n other f orms b y a n e xtended a nd e longated r im, s o that i t i s substantially t hinner t han the lower body ( Fig. 1 0g-j). The r im f orm a lso extends to a ssociated s lipped vessels. On one unslipped example ( Fig. 1 0k), d iagonal s triations extended to the exterior r im, while on o thers ( Fig. 1 0g-h) there were horizontal s triations b eginning near the neck. Paste i s l ight brown to gray-brown i n color, s ometimes with a darker i nterior c ore. Temper appears to be coarse l imestone grit. Group P . . 3 roup P i s c omplete s triated v essels

c omposed o f only two nearly a ssociated with " Protoclassic" 4 59

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

l

i f

t

5

F ig.

1 0.

Form groups

1 0cm

N-P.

4 60

(

11 :

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador ceramics i n the upper portions o f a chultun i n t he T igre p laza. The rather h igh, f laring necks have a r im diameter of 1 6 cm ( Fig. 1 0m) a nd 1 9.7 cm ( Fig. 1 1), with vessel heights o f 1 9.5 and 2 8.5 cm r espectively. The f irst vessel ( Fig. 1 0m) has horizontal s triations near t he base o f t he neck a nd extending down the body o f the vessel to the base o f t he vertical handles, a t which point the s triations become d iagonal. The s econd vessel ( Fig. 1 1) has an unslipped neck with t hree s light horizontal striations encircling the c enter o f the neck. The body o f the vessel i s l ightly s triated i n v ertical a nd d iagonal patterns i mmediately below t he neck. The f irst vessel ( Fig. 1 0m) a lso has t hree vertical h andles, with the exterior center o f the h andles s lightly i nset a nd horizontally i ncised. The r im o f t his vessel h as a s light groove e ncircling the e ntire u pper r im, and i s thus s imilar in t his r espect to t he r ims o f Group F . P aste color ranges f rom gray to brownish-gray and contains f ine l imestone-grit a s t emper. S UMMARY S tudy o f a s eries o f rim f orm types of unslipped and unslipped s triated c eramics f rom the Late P reclassic through P rotoclassic t imes i n well c ontrolled s tratigraphic c ontexts f rom E l M irador h as demonstrated a chronological p attern o f d evelopment--something that has not been done s ystematically f or t hese c eramics in the l owland Maya a rea. Whether t he changes t hat mark the unslipped pottery at E l M irador a re unique to t hat s ite or region o r a re s imilar to c hanges t aking p lace i n other parts o f the Maya area remains to be s een. S uch c eramic comparisons can b e viewed objectively only by i ncluding in ceramic r eports t he proveniences of i llustrated s herds and s tratigraphic p rofiles o f t he various excavations. Only in this way c an more objective evaluations of the chronological s eriation o f M aya c eramics b e made. The detailed c orrelation o f ceramic modes to s tratigraphic columns and c hronometric data h as a llowed chronological s eriations of c eramics which i n the past have generally been difficult to identify. S imilar observations at other s ites will a llow f urther r efinement of chronological values t o modal variations f or u nslipped ( and s lipped) c eramics and e nhance d iagnostic i dentifications that can be t ested e lsewhere.

Acknowledgments S incere appreciation i s extended to Dr. Ray T . Matheny a nd D r. Bruce H . D ahlin, d irectors o f P roject E l Mirador during t he period o f this research. Gratitude i s a lso extended t o the New World Archaeological Foundation, National Geographic Society, National S cience Foundation, 4 61

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

CL

4 62

L ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador Brigham Young U niversity, and S igma Xi-The Scientific Research Society, f or funding during the course of the r esearch. We a lso express thanks to the I nstituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Guatemala, for all a id extended to the El Mirador Project.

References ADAMS, 1 971

BALL, 1 977a

R .E. W. The Ceramics of Altar de Sacrificios, Papers of the Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: H arvard University). J . W. The Archaeological Ceramics of Becan, Campeche, Mexico, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 4 3 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

1 977b

" The R ise of the Northern Maya Chiefdoms: A Socioprocessual Analysis," in The Origins of Maya C ivilization, ed. R .E. W. Adams, pp. 1 01-32 ( Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press).

BRAINERD, 1 958

G . W. The Archaeological Ceramics o f Yucatan, University of California Anthropological Records, vol. 1 9 ( Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press).

CHASE, 1 984

A .F. " The Ceramic Complexes o f the Tayasal-Paxcaman Z one, Lake Peten, Guatemala," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 3:27-41.

CULBERT, i n prep

DEMAREST, 1 984

T .P. " Descriptions of the Preclassic Ceramics, Tikal, Guatemala," Ms., Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona. A . A. " La Ceramica Preclasica de E l Mirador: Resultados Preliminares y Analisis en Curso," Mesoamerica 7 :53-92. Publication of the Centro de I nvestigaciones Regionales de Mesoamerica, Antigua, Guatemala.

DEMAREST, A . A., R . SHARER, W . FOWLER, E . KING, AND J . FOWLER 1 984 " Las Excavaciones," Mesoamerica 7 :14-52. Publication of the Centro de I nvestigaciones Regionales de Mesoamerica, Antigua, Guatemala. FORSYTH, 1 980

D . W. "Report

on

Some 4 63

Ceramics

f rom

the

• Peten,

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth Guatemala," in El Mirador, Peten, Guatemala: An I nterim Report, ed. by R .T. Matheny, pp. 5 8-82. Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation no. 4 5 ( Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University). 1 983

G IFFORD, 1 963

I nvestigations at Edzna, Campeche, Mexico: Ceramics, Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation no. 4 6(2) ( Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University). J .C. "A Statement Concerning t he Ceramic Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 (2-3):23-34.

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Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics o f Barton Ramie in the B elize Valley, Peabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

HANSEN, 1 984

R .D. " Excavations on Structure 3 4 and the Tigre Area, E l Mirador, Peten, Guatemala: A New Look at the Preclassic Lowland Maya," M .S. thesis, Brigham Young University.

HOWELL, 1 983

W . " Excavations i n the Danta Complex, El Mirador, Peten, Guatemala," M .S. thesis, Brigham Young University.

KOSAKOWSKY, L .J. 1 983 " Intra-site Variability of the Formative Ceramics from Cuello,Belize: An Analysis o f Form and Function," Ph. D. diss., University of Arizona. MATHENY, 1 970

R .T. The Ceramics of Aquacatal, Campeche, Mexico, P apers of the New World Archaeological Foundation no. 2 7 ( Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University).

MATHENY, 1 980

R .T., R .D. HANSEN, AND D . L. GURR " Preliminary Field Report, El Mirador: 1 979 S eason," in E l Mirador, Peten, Guatemala: An I nterim Report, ed. by R .T. Matheny, pp. 1 -23. Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation no. 4 5 ( Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University).

NELSON, 1 973

F . W., JR. Archaeological Investigations Campecne, Mexico, Papers o f 4 64

at D zibilnocac, t he New World

L ate P reclassic U ns l ipped P ottery f rom E l M irador Archaeological Foundation Brigham Young University). PRING, 1 975

no.

3 3

( Provo,

Utah:

D . " Type Descriptions of the Freshwater F loral Park Ceramic Complex in Northern Belize," in Archaeology in Northern Belize, British MuseumCambridge University Corozal Project, ( Cambridge University Centre of Latin American Studies).

1 976

I llustrations for Preclassic Ceramic Complexes in Northern Belize, ( Cambridge University Centre of Latin American Studies).

1 977

" The Ph. D.

RICE, 1 979

P reclassic Ceramics d iss., University of

o f Northern Belize," London.

P . M. " Ceramic and Nonceramic Artifacts o f Lakes YaxhaSacnab, El Peten, Guatemala, Part I , The Ceramics, Section A , Introduction and the Middle Preclassic Ceramics of Yaxha-Sacnab, Guatemala," Ceramica de Cultura Maya 1 0:1-36.

R ICKETSON, 0 . G., AND E .B. RICKETSON 1 937 Uaxactun, Guatemala Group E 1 926-1931, Carnegie I nstitution o f Washington, no. 4 77 ( Washington, D .C.). ROBERTSON, R . 1 983 " Functional Analysis and Social Process in Ceramics: The Pottery from Cerros, Belize," in Civilization i n the Ancient Americas: Essays in Honor o f Gordon R . Willey, ed. R . M. Leventhal and A .L. Kolata. pp.105-142 University of New Mexico Press and Peabody Museum ( Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University). ROBERTSON-FREIDEL, R . 1 980 " The Ceramics f rom Cerros: A Late Preclassic S ite i n Northern Belize," Ph.D. diss., Harvard University. SABLOFF, 1 975

SHARER, 1 978

J . A. Excavations at Seibal: Ceramics, Memoirs of the Peabody Museum o f Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 1 3(2) ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University). R .J. The P rehistory o f Chalchuapa, E l S alvador, 3 vols. ( Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania).

4 65

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth SMITH, 1 955

R .

E . Ceramic

S equence

American Orleans:

Research I nstitute Tulane University).

at Uaxactun,

Guatemala,

Publication

Middle 2 0

( New

SMITH R .E., AND J .C. GIFFORD 1 966 " Maya Ceramic Varieties, T ypes, and Wares at U axactun: Supplement to ' Ceramic Sequence at Uaxactun, Guatemala'," i n Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 2 8, pp. 1 25-74 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

Appendix 1 . Provenience of I llustrated Forms Operation, Trench/Lot/Bag number ( Surface)[1]

a▪ . . .

2 6J/19 ( HS) 2 6J/19 ( ST) 2 6P/21/289 ( HS) 3 2B/15/40 2 1 G-00 ( HS) . 2 6B/09/159 ( UN)

g . h . i . j . k . 1 . m .

Group D a . b . C . d . e . f . g . h . i .

2 6B/08/26 2 6B/09/28 ( UN) 3 2B/15 ( UN) 3 2B/22/54 3 2B/13/33 ( VS) 1 9B/10/65 ( VS) 1 9D1/02/12 ( VS) 2 1G/08 ( VS) 2 1G-08 ( DS) 2 6A/12A/88 ( UN)

2 6B/08 ( UN) 2 6B/08 ( UN) 3 2B/15/40 ( UN) 3 2A/07 ( UN) 1 9A-03 ( HS) 2 6P/22 ( DS) 3 2B/13 ( UN)

n . o . p . q .

a▪ b . c . d . e . f .

2 6B/08/26 ( HS) 3 2B/13/33 ( VS) 2 1G-08 ( HS) 1 9A-01 ( HS) 2 7C 1 0-04 ( HS) 2 6H-03 ( UN)

Group a . b . c . d .

. . . ▪ . 1. •

4 66

3 28/24/59 ( UN) 3 2B/24/49 ( UN) 1 7A1/01 ( HS) 3 3A/05,07 ( ST) 1 7A2/06 ( DS) 3 2D/02/96 ( ST) 3 2D/03/109

Group

H

2 6P/17/282 ( UN) 2 6H/09 ( UN) 2 6H/03/91 ( UN) 2 6P/02/225 ( UN)

3 2A/09/10 ( UN) 3 2B/15/40 ( VS) 2 6P/27/297( VS) 2 6P/17/241( VS)

Group F

Group E

G roup G • 2 6H/11/191 ( HS) 2 6P/19/288 ( UN) . 2 6P/25/294 ( UN) . 2 1G-00 ( ST) 1 9B/18 ( ST) 2 6P/18/242 . 2 6E/04/84

Group C

Group B

Group A

e . f . g .

I

3 2B/2 1 /5 1 ( UN) 3 2C/02/45 ( UN) 1 6A2-19 ( UN)

T ate P reclassic U nslipped P ottery f rom E l M irador

h . i . j .

3 2B/13/33 3 5A/09/11 3 2C/02/45

( UN) ( UN) ( UN)

k . 1 . m . n .

Group M i . j . k . 1 . m . n .

3 2A/05/05 ( UN) 3 6A/20/59 ( UN) 2 6P/11/235 ( HS) 1 9B/05 ( ST) 2 6B4/d,21G/08(HS) 2 6A/09 ( HS)

1 .

2 6K/06 2 6P/03 ( HS) 2 6D/03 ( HS) 3 2D/04/107 D emarest 1 984: 2 6K/06 ( DS) 2 6P/03 ( UN)

H S V S D S S T U N

= = =

2 6 1 /09/197 ( UN) 3 2B/21/51 ( ST) 2 6P/02/225 ( VS) 2 6H/04/92

a . b . C. d . e . f • g . h .

3 2B/12 ( UN) 3 5A/09/11 ( UN) 2 1G-08 ( HS) 1 9A-06 ( HS) 3 2D/04/107(UN) 3 6A/10/24 ( UN) 3 2D/03/98 ( UN) 3 2D/02/96

G roup N 3 2D/03/109 ( UN) 3 2D/03/109 ( ST) 1 7A2/04 ( HS) F orsyth 1 980: F ig. Forsyth 1 980: F ig.

a . b . c . d . e .

Group P

Group 0 . . . . . . .

Group L

Group K

Group J

m . a .

F ig.

3 2D/02/99 3 2D/02/100

4 5n

H orizontal S triation Vertical S triation D iagonal S triation Striated U nstriated

4 67

4 6e 4 6i

( ST)

R ichard D . H ansen a nd D onald W . F orsyth

S ymbols

Appendix 2 . U sed t o D epict S ome C eramic Modes on P ottery I llustrations

1 .

A d ashed a rrow i ndicates t he p resence o f f lute i n the l ocation i ndicated.

a g roove o r

2 .

A s olid g roove o r

3 .

A s olid a rrow w ith a a rrow point i ndicates l ocation i ndicated.

4 .

A s olid a rrow w ith a s olid dot i n f ront of t he arrow p oint i ndicates punctation i n t he l ocation i ndicated.

a rrow i ndicates t he p resence o f a p ronounced f lute i n the l ocation i ndicated.

4 68

c urved thumb

l ine i n f ront o f i mpression i n

the t he

1 9 A R e -eva lua t ion o f P ro toc lass ic O range Wares

J ames E .

B rady

The P rotoclassic p eriod i n Maya prehistory i s marked by t he appearance o f the F loral Park ceramic c omplex. This complex s ignaled an end to the P reclassic waxy ware tradition and s aw the i ntroduction o f g lossy o range wares a s w ell a s a n umber o f n ew vessel f orms i ncluding the tetrapod mammiform bowl, Z -angle bowls and d ishes, and pot s tands. The h allmark o f the F loral P ark c eramic c omplex i s t he Aguacate O range type-series. Aguacate O range, a s defined by G ifford ( 1976), has a diagnostic p inkish-orange p aste b eneath an e roded o range s lip. Pring ( 1977a:423-24), i n his r eview o f P rotoclassic material, comments on the d ifficulty i n applying t his c riterion. At t he r oot o f the problem i s the extremely poor preservation o f most P rotoclassic c ollections which has p revented a dequate d efinition o f these pottery types on t he basis o f s urface treatment. This has, i n t urn, prevented a c lear evaluation o f Holmul O range ware i n t erms of i ts r elationship b oth to earlier P reclassic ware and t o the l ater P eten g loss ware. E xplorations a t the ceremonial c ave s ite o f Naj Tunich, Peten, Guatemala ( Fig. 1 ), have y ielded a l arge a nd well p reserved c ollection of Protoclassic c eramics. The s ite c an be d ivided i nto t wo areas. The f irst o f t hese i s an enormous e ntrance chamber more than 1 50 m l ong and 3 0 m wide. The western t hird o f t his c hamber c ontains a natural rise that was modified by f illing a nd l eveling b ehind a s eries o f r etaining walls. The result i s a twot iered balcony t hat r ises over 1 4 m f rom the c ave f loor. The s econd a rea c onsists o f more t han a k ilometer o f t unnels that are r eached f rom the balcony. Thus f ar n o s ubsurface d eposits o f c eramics h ave b een f ound i n the t unnel and t he majority o f a ll artifacts were s urface c ollected. The m ajority o f the P rotoclassic material 4 69

J anes E . B rady

F ig. 1 . Map o f the Maya area s howing the l ocation o f Naj Tunich i n r el ation to other important s ites.

4 70

A Re-Evaluation o f P rotoclassic O range W ares c omes f rom t hu b alcony where a large number o f ceramics.

two

excavations

h ave

y ielded

A 2 m x 2 m x 50 cm test p it was dug on the upper l evel o f t he balcony around a l ooter's p it t hat was a pproximately 1 35 cm i n d iameter a nd 2 9 cm d eep. A s maller test p it, 7 5 cm x 5 0 cm, was s unk i n t he f loor o f t he l arger p it a nd excavated to bedrock, which was r eached b etween 7 2-82 cm. A total o f 4 114 s herds, 1 5.4% o f t he c ollection, was r ecovered. The c eramics appear to be a f airly uniform mixture o f P rotoclassic o range wares and L ate P reclassic S ociety H all Red ( Kosakowsky 1 982) mixed w ith l arge amounts o f Uaxactun Unslipped. I n t he s econd excavation, a t rench was cut a cross t he u pper l evel o f the balcony a nd abutted o ne wall o f a Late C lassic tomb. T his t rench y ielded 2 ,575 s herds or 9 .6% o f t he total c ollection. Three l evels were d efined. The f irst two, p erhaps b ecause o f d isturbance related to the c onstruction o f t he t omb, s howed a mixture o f P rotoclassicL ate P reclassic c eramics w ith a small n umber o f L ate C lassic s herds while t he t hird l evel was purely P rotoclassic-Late P reclassic i n makeup. Several o bservations s eem to be i n o rder c oncerning t he Naj T unich c eramic a ssemblage. Over 4 0% o f t he c eramics by weight c onsist o f Uaxactun Unslipped. S ociety H all Red f orms a pproximately one-fourth o f t he c ollection while the P rotoclassic orange wares and a s triated t ype m ake up about 1 5% each. T he co-occurrence i n many l ots o f S ociety H all R ed, P rotoclassic orange wares, a nd the s triated ware s uggests that t he t hree e xisted c ontemporaneously. S ierra Red i s f ound i n small quantities a nd i s u sed on a l imited r ange o f f orms: mushroom s tands, t etrapod mammiform bowls, a nd Z -angle bowls. The N aj Tunich a ssemblage i s i nteresting i n another way as well. I n a ll p revious r eports monochromes f orm t he bulk o f t he P rotoclassic o range ware with d ichromes and polychromes being quite r are. At Barton Ramie f ewer t han 3 00 of the 1 3,000 o range ware s herds had p ainted decoration ( Gifford 1 976:129-45). At Naj T unich, h owever, monochrome s herds a re r are a nd polychromes predominate. Also atypical a t Naj Tunich i s t he p resence o f t he tetrapod m ammiform a s t he dominant v essel f orm ( Pring 1 977b:142). T he s uperior p reservation o f t he N aj T unich collection, a fforded by t he c ave environment, a llows f or the d efinition o f t he various P rotoclassic p ottery t ypes on t he b asis o f s urface t reatment a s well a s t he preliminary o ffering o f s everal n ew t ypological d istinctions a n . r edefinitions. The most f undamental o f these i s t he recognition o f two P rotoclassic orange wares 4 71

J ames E . B rady that I f eel a re s ufficiently d istinct t echnologically to w arrant t heir b eing p laced i n s eparate type-series a nd in d ifferent wares. T he f irst o f t hese t ype-series would r etain t he d esignation Aguacate O range a nd r emain i n H olmul O range w are. The s eries i s d efined a s h aving a dull to s lightly l ustrous s lip with c olor r anging f rom o range or red-orange t o b rown-orange o r b rown-red. The p aste i s c ompact, medium t o medium-fine with medium t o f ine c alcite t emper. F orms i nclude b owls w ith s lightly i ncurved s ides, b owls w ith outcurved s ides, p ot s tands, mammiform s upports, c ream p itchers, and j ars with vertical n ecks. A lso i ncluded i n t his type-series i s G avilan B lack-ono range. The f orms a re t he s ame a s t hose noted above with t he addition o f t etrapod mammiform b owls with f lared s ides a nd d irect r im. D ecorations i nclude b lack l ines p ainted o n r ims a nd s houlders, s hort, s traight to wavy horizontal l ines, p seudo-Usulutan wavy v ertical l ines, and g eometric l ines a nd t riangles. This l ast c ategory o f decoration i s f ound o nly o n t etrapod mammiform bowls and i s identical t o t he d ecorative motifs f ound i n t he I xcanrio O range P olychrome e xcept t hat t hey a re p ainted only in b lack and a re i nvariably c ruder i n execution. I t s hould a lso b e n oted t hat t he mammiform s upports f ound i n the A guacate O range t ype-series a re smaller, thicker, l ess smooth, a nd c ruder i n s hape t han t hose f ound i n the I xcanrio O range t ype-series. H oles, u sually r ound, a re i rregularly p laced i n t hese s upports ( Gifford 1 976:142, F ig. 7 1m). The Gavilan B lack-on-orange s herds with p seudoU sulutan d esign s eem t o b e s imilar to S acluc B lack-ono range: S acluc v ariety a t A ltar ( Adams 1 971:28) a nd S avannah B ank U sulutan: S avannah B ank v ariety a t Barton R amie ( Gifford 1 976:116-19). At N aj Tunich t he s lip r anges i n color f rom t he g olden b rown described b y G ifford t o the o range described by Adams, b ut i n a ll c ases these c learly b elong i n G avilan B lack-on-orange at Naj Tunich. Adams ( 1971:29) n otes t hat S acluc B lack-on-orange a nd G avilan B lack-on-orange a re r elated to A ltar. I s uggest that t hese c eramics w ith t he p seudo-Usulutan d esign b e c lassified a s Gavilan B lack-on-orange: S acluc variety. T he I xcanrio t ype-series h as b een s eparated f rom t he Aguacate t ype-series a nd p laced i n the P eten G loss ware. I t s hould b e emphasized t hat w ith r espect t o surface f inish, t his material i s i ndistinguishable f rom E arly C lassic D os Arroyos O range P olychrome basal f lange vessels a t N aj T unich. The f act t hat t he P rotoclassic c eramics a re f ormally a nd t emporally d istinct f rom t hose o f t he E arly C lassic j ustifies g iving them s eparate t ype d esignations.

4 72

AR e-Evaluation o f P rotoclassic O range W ares The monochrome in this s eries i s tentatively d esignated L a C ompuerta Orange and i s defined a s having a g lossy orange s lip over a white or buff underslip. The p aste i s compact, medium f ine to f ine, and gray to p inkish i n color with calcite t emper. Forms i nclude mammiform s upports, Z -angle bowls, pot s tands, cream p itchers, bowls and dishes with i ncurved s ides--some o f which have r ing b ases--and j ars w ith outflaring necks. A d ichrome, S abaneta B lack-on-orange, has a lso been r ecognized. P aste and s lip characteristics are the s ame a s above. Decorations i nclude a b lack l ine or l ines on r ims and occasionally on s houlders. The f rog motif on exteriors and o ccasionally on i nteriors i s a lso common. Forms include Z -angle bowls, bowls with s lightly i ncurved s ides, and j ars w ith vertical necks. Guacamallo Red-on-orange h as been moved to t he Ixcanrio t ype-series because no red-on-orange was f ound i n the Aguacate type-series. P aste and s lip characteristics are those o f L a Compuerta Orange. Decorations i nclude a red l ine or l ines o n r ims and one example o f a f rog. Among the forms, pot s tands p redominate, but other s hapes include Z -angle b owls, t etrapod mammiform bowls, bowls with incurved s ides, j ars with vertical n ecks, and vessels with bridged spouts. Paste and s lip c haracteristics o f I xcanrio O range Polychrome are the s ame a s L a Compuerta Orange. Decorations i nclude red and b lack l ines, g eometric designs, f rogs, a nd f ishes. Forms a re tetrapod mammiform bowls, Z -angle b owls and d ishes--some w ith m ammiform supports--pot s tands, and j ars with v ertical n ecks. Most tetrapod mammiform bowls and s ome Z -angle bowls have a white u nderslip with orange overslip on interiors and exterior bottoms. Red l ines a re u sed on r ims and bases where the o range and white s lips meet. Decorations on t he exterior s ides a re in b lack a nd r ed on white. Gifford ( 1976:145) defines a s eparate type, Coquericot Buff Polychrome: Coquericot variety f or a t etrapod mammiform bowl i dentical to the Naj Tunich material. I nspection o f a s ingle tetrapod mammiform bowl f rom Holmul indicates that i t i s a lso decorated i n a s imilar manner. Because I s uspect t hat most o f t he I xcanrio O range tetrapod mammiform bowls have a s imilar r ed a nd b lack on buff d ecoration I p ropose designating them I xcanrio Orange Polychrome: Coquericot variety rather than t reating them a s a s eparate type. T he s eparation o f the I xcanrio s eries f rom t he Aguacate s eries i s based on differences in s lip. The I xcanrio s eries h as a hard, bright ', g lossy s lip which i s i ndistinguishabl e f rom Early C lassic P eten G loss ware s lips. It was a lso noted that the Ixcanrio s eries has a 4 73

J ames E . B rady white underslip s imilar t o that noted by S mith ( 1955:23, F ig. 2 5b) i n E arly C lassic polychromes a t U axactun. The Aguacate s eries s lip h as a g enerally d uller, more e asily e roded, matte f inish. C olor varies b etween the t wo a s well, with t he A guacate s eries r anging i nto b rown o r g olden-brown. T here a re marked d ifferences i n d ecorative techniques b etween t he two s eries. The p seudo-Usulutan design and s hort horizontal b lack l ines which a re c ommon in G avilan B lack-on-orange a re a lmost totally a bsent i n the I xcanrio s eries. The f ish a nd f rog designs o f t he I xcanrio s eries a re n ot f ound a t a ll i n t he Aguacate s eries. S imilarities b etween t he two s eries exist i n the p ainted r ims i n both and i n t he r eplication o f a l imited r ange o f t he geometric d esigns f ound o n I xcanrio Orange P olychrome i n Gavilan B lack-on-orange. There s eems t o b e a n early c omplete o verlap i n v essel f orm a s well i n t he two s eries. One d ifference, noted e arlier, i s the c ruder f orm o f the Aguacate s eries mammiform s upports. c reation o f a s eparate I xcanrio type-series The p laced i n t he P eten G loss ware s erves, I believe, t o solve a p roblem t hat a n umber o f c eramicists have b egun t o a ddress. Smith ( 1955:22) n otes t hat " Holmul I ware g enerally c onforms t o T zakol g loss ware in s urface f inish." Adams ( 1971:26) l umps both the P rotoclassic a nd E arly C lassic monochrome o ranges together u nder t he d esignation Aguila O range i n P eten G loss ware. P ring ( 1977a:307) d escribes t he Aguacate O range o f t he F reshwater F loral P ark c omplex a t Nohmul as h aving a g lossy s lip which h e c ompares t o that o f Early C lassic monochrome r eds. F orsyth ( 1983:63), l ike Adams, u ses t he d esignation Aguila O range r ather t han Aguacate O range f or t he P rotoclassic monochrome o range c eramics at E dzna. H e r etains t he G uacamallo Red-on-orange and I xcanrio Orange P olychrome t ype d esignations which a re b ased o n d ifferences i n f orm b etween P rotoclassic a nd Early C lassic material, but p laces b oth o f these types in P eten G loss ware. C ase ( 1982) g oes f arther i n h is analysis o f t he S tillwater F loral P ark c omplex a t E l Pozito. C ase f inds t hat t he s lip o f t he E l Pozito P rotoclassic orange ware i s i ndistinguishable f rom t he E arly C lassic orange ware a nd s o s ubsumes t he f ormer a s f orm v ariants o f the l atter. I f eel t hat t he f ormal a nd t emporal d ifferences b etween t he I xcanrio and D os Arroyos s eries j ustify t he s eparate t ype d esignations, while t heir p lacement w ithin P eten G loss ware a cknowledges t he point t hat C ase i s c orrectly making. T he t rend a s noted above has f avored the e limination o f Aguacate O range a s a t ype b y u sing Aguila O range f or b oth P rotoclassic a nd E arly C lassic o range monochromes. T he N aj Tunich material e stablishes t he existence o f Aguacate O range a s a s eparate t ype. W ithin the N aj T unich a ssemblage Aguacate O range s hows a c lose relationship t o 4 74

AR e-Evaluation o f P rotoclassic O range W ares S ociety Hall R ed. S ociety H all Red shows a g reat deal o f h eterogeneity, w ith s lips varying f rom heavy a nd waxy to t hin and l ustrous o r even dull, and the color r anging f rom bright r ed and orange to dull brown. I n this l atter r espect there i s a nearly complete overlap i n s lip color b etween Society H all Red and Aguacate Orange. There i s a s ubstantial overlap a s well in s lip t exture, t hickness, a nd sheen. When s lips are heavy and waxy t he c lassification o f this material i s relatively s imple, but w ith t he thinner and duller s lips Society Hall Red grades i nto Aguacate O range s o that an arbitrary break has to be made between t he two types. The continuity between the two suggests t hat t he origins of Aguacate Orange l ie i n t he Late P reclassic redwares. The o rigin o f t he I xcanrio s eries i s u ncertain. P ring ( 1977b:147) comments that the F loral Park c omplex at Barton R amie " seems much c loser to the P reclassic with a duller, more easily e roded s urface" than at Nohmul, where t he Freshwater c omplex has bright, g lossy s lip. F or this r eason Pring b elieves that Nohmul i s l ater than Barton Ramie. He a lso f eels that the smaller, c ruder mammiforms are early ( Pring 1 977b:144). These differences c orrespond to t he two series I have s eparated here and i t would s eem that Pring i s s uggesting t hat there i s a temporal and evolutionary l ink b etween t he earlier Aguacate a nd l ater I xcanrio s eries. Unfortunately, the Naj Tunich material does not permit me to confirm this s uggestion. I t i s not possible to s eparate t he two s eries s tratigraphically at the s ite and t here a re no i ntermediate forms i ndicating that one evolved i nto t he other. Within the N aj T unich a ssemblage the s lip o f true S ierra Red most c losely resembles the h ard, bright, g lossy one f ound on the I xcanrio s eries. P ring ( 1977b:146) notes that Protoclassic c eramics exhibit a range o f s urface textures f rom w axy to g lossy, i ndicating the t ransitional nature of the s lip. Double s lipping, which i s f ound i n the I xcanrio s eries, h as a lso been reported f or S ierra Red ( Ball 1 977). A lthough t hese points are s uggestive o f a S ierra Red/Ixcanrio s eries c onnection, S ierra Red i s too poorly represented i n this collection t o a llow a convincing c ase t o be made and this idea i s raised s imply a s a p oint f or f uture r esearch. I n s ummary, t he e xcellent preservation o f the Naj Tunich ceramics a llows two s eparate Protoclassic o range type-series to b e d istinguished. The f irst s eries i ncludes Aguacate Orange and G avilan B lack-on-orange and remains in Holmul Orange ware. I t i s a lso s uggested that Sacluc B lack-on-orange and S avannah Bank U sulutan be redefined a s Gavilan B lack-on-orange: S acluc variety. T he s econd C lassic Aguila

t ype-series h as been r elated to the Early s eries and p laced within Peten G loss ware. 4 75

J ames E . B rady Guacamallo Red-on-orange and I xcanrio Orange Polychrome h ave b een r emoved f rom the Aguacate s eries and p laced in this s eries. I n addition, two new types, La Compuerta O range and Sabaneta B lack-on-orange h ave b een c reated. Coquericot Buff Polychrome has been t entatively redefined a s I xcanrio Orange Polychrome: Coquericot variety. F inally, it i s suggested that Aguacate Orange may h ave d erived f rom Society Hall Red on the basis of numerous s imilarities between the two in t he Naj Tunich a ssemblage. The origins o f the I xcanrio series a re not c lear but the possibility that i t arose out of S ierra Red i s tentatively advanced.

Acknowledgments I would l ike to express my gratitude to Dr. Joseph Ball for h is a ssistance in both the analysis of the a rtifacts and the writing o f this p aper, and to Jody H ansen who drew the map.

References ADAMS, 1 971

R .E. W. The Ceramics o f A ltar de S acrificios, P apers o f t he Peabody Museum, vol. 6 3, no. 1 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

BALL, 1 977

J . W.

CASE, 1 982

R .P.

The Archaeological Ceramics of Becan, Campeche, Mexico, Middle American Research I nstitute Publication 4 3 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

" Type-Variety Analysis and t he Protoclassic Ceramics o f E l Pozito, Belize: A Critical Review," M . A. thesis, S an Diego State University.

FORSYTH, 1 983

D . W. Investigations at Edzna, Campeche, Mexico P apers o f the New World Archaeological Foundation, no. 4 6(2) ( Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University).

G IFFORD, 1 976

J .C. Prehistoric Pottery Analysis and the Ceramics o f Barton Ramie i n t he B elize Valley, Peabody Museum Memoirs, vol. 1 8 ( Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University).

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A R e-Evaluation o f P rotoclassic O range W ares

KOSAKOWSKY, L .J. 1 982 "A P reliminary Summary of Formative Ceramic Variability at Cuello, Belize," Ceramica de Cultura Maya et a l. 1 2:26-42. PRING, 1 977a

1 977b

SMITH, 1 955

D .C. " The Ph.D.

P reclassic Ceramics d iss., University of

o f Northern Belize," London.

" Influence o r I ntrusion? the Maya Lowlands," in Prehistory, ed. by N . ( London: Academic Press).

The Protoclassic in Social Process in Maya Hammond, pp. 1 35-165

R .E. Ceramic American Orleans:

Sequence at Uaxactun, Guatemala, Middle Research I nstitute Publication 2 0 ( New Tulane University).

4 77

2 0 T he S ign i f icance o f V o lcan ic A sh T emper ing i n t he C eram ics o f t he C en tra l Maya L ow lands A nabel F ord a nd H arry G I token

Volcanic a sh o r g lass tempering i n l owland Maya c eramics h as b een r ecognized f or a t l east h alf a c entury. As e arly a s 1 936, Anna 0 . S hepard ( 1937:145), i n h er f irst year w ith t he C arnegie I nstitution o f Washington ( Morris 1 974), was s truck by t he implications o f f resh volcanic materials i n c eramics p rovenienced f rom a r egion geologically c omposed o f Eocene or o lder m arine l imestone s ediments. I n numerous archaeological r eports a nd publications on a ncient M aya c eramics, S hepard ( 1937, 1 938, 1 939a, 1 939b, 1 942, 1 951, 1 956, 1 962) c ommented on the p resence o f v olcanic a sh. S he i nsisted t hat t he c lays o f t he l owland M aya p ottery s he examined were obtained l ocally, y et t hey were i nfused with a pparently n onlocal volcanic a sh a s a t empering a gent. According t o S hepard, c eramics t empered with volcanic a sh occur p redominantly i n a ssociation w ith t he l ate period, n ow k nown a s t he L ate C lassic ( AD 6 00-900). S he observed t hat t he v olcanic a sh was r elatively f resh, containing i sotropic [ 1] g lass with l ittle d evitrification and was u niform i n i ts c omposition both i n particle s ize and i n mineralogy ( Shepard n .d.). The p astes were f ound regularly i n r ed s lipped vessels o f the " vinaceous t awny wares" f rom S an J ose ( Shepard 1 939b), U axactun ( Shepard i n Smith 1 955), a nd B enque V iejo o r X unantunich ( Shepard 1 942). The volcanic a sh temper was u sed i nstead o f carbonates, i mplying that i t was n ot a n a ccidental i nclusion, b ut w as p urposely u sed i n l ieu o f t he l ocal l imestone material. F rom h er g eological t raining ( see K idder 1 937:144; Morris 1 974), S hepard a sserted t hat the relative abundance o f t he volcanic a dmixture i n t he pottery p ointed t o a r eliable a nd s teady p rocurement s ource. While t o t his d ay no k nown d eposit o f f resh volcanic a sh h as b een r eported f or t he M aya l owlands, Shepard c ontended t hat t he s ource must h ave b een r eadily available a nd material f rom i t t raded, a nd s he c ontinually 4 79

A nabel F ord a nd Harry G licken l ooked f or g eological s ubstantiation o f t his position ( cf. S hepard 1 942, 1 962:252-254; S hepard 1 964:165; Jones 1 984:59).

S TUDIES

OF VOLCANIC ASH TEMPER O F THE MAYA AREA

S hepard's i nterest i n explaining t he origins o f volcanic a sh t emper i n l owland Maya pottery n ever d iminished. The s ubject i s c onstantly brought up i n p assing r eferences, but a s none o f h er archaeological c olleagues r ecognized t he s ignificance of S hepard's f indings, t he i ssue dropped f rom s ight f or some d ecades. Not until t he e arly 1 970's, a fter S hepard's death ( Morris 1 974), was t here s ome revived i nterest in her r esearch o n volcanic a sh. I sphording and Wilson ( 1974) raised a c loud o f d oubt o ver S hepard's volcanic a sh i dentifications b y s uggesting a l ocal l owland material, p alygorskite, was mistaken f or volcanic a sh. T his p roposal o f t he misidentification o f v olcanic a sh a s p alygorskite was p ut f orth on t he basis o f X-ray d iffraction a nalysis o f p alygorskite and implied t hat S hepard d id n ot have a f irm g rasp o f h er data ( see a lso Jones 1 984:59-60). To the contrary, S hepard was a s killed g eological p etrographer and a methodical t echnician ( Morris 1 974; a lso S hepard 1 962).[2] H er analysis o f a rchaeological c eramics was thorough, as an examination o f h er t hin s ection s lide f iles and d ocumenting i ndex a lone will d emonstrate ( University o f Colorado Museum, B oulder). G iven t his i nformation, i t i s c lear that I sphording and W ilson's ( 1974) doubts o f S hepard's c apabilities a nd i dentification o f volcanic a sh a re u nfounded. R eexamination o f S hepard's own s lides used f or h er a nalyses, f rom n umerous l owland Maya s ites, substantiates the c orrect i dentification o f the presence of v olcanic a sh, i ncluding g lass shards, pumice, hornblende, b iotite, e tc.[3] Moreover, s he was completely aware o f t he p alygorskite d eposits i n t he l owland r egion, a nd h ad c onsidered t his material a s a p ossible base f or t he p igment " Maya B lue" ( Shepard 1 971; a lso Hathaway et a l. 1 969). S immons a nd B rem ( 1979) c orrected t he m isleading p osition o f I sphording and W ilson. They a nalyzed p etrographically a number o f c eramic thin sections f rom the c entral and northern Maya l owlands and g enerally d escribed t he n ature o f the volcanic a sh present, in t he p rocess c onfirming S hepard's i dentification o f v olcanic a sh. B ecause the Maya l owlands are c omposed predominantly o f l imestone and no deposits o f f resh volcanic a sh a re d escribed i n t he l iterature, t hey p ropose a m odel o f h ighland-lowland t rade, l inking a sh t rade with o bsidian t rade b etween t he s ource a reas i n the h ighlands and t he 4 80

Volcanic A sh T empering distribution 1 979:85-89). presence o f S immons and might have possibilities

z ones i n the l owlands ( Simmons and B rem While this i s a possible explanation f or the volcanic a sh temper in l owland Maya c eramics, B rem d id not examine the quantity o f a sh that b een traded and d id not evaluate other

Most recently, L ea Jones ( 1984), in an overview o f the petrography o f Maya ceramics, d raws attention to the evidence for volcanic a sh t emper. She d etails t he presence of v olcanic ash i n ancient Maya c eramics, verifying i ts u se, t o s ome d egree, i n a ll periods and r ecognizing the considerable abundance o f a sh i n t he Late C lassic c eramics ( Jones 1 984:2, 5 5-84). The volume o f ash t empered pottery, a rgues Jones, echoing t he positions o f S hepard ( 1939b, 1 942, 1 962) and S immons and Brem ( 1979), s uggests a readily available supply o f t he t empering material ( Jones 1 984:61). S he i s, however, pessimistic as to the possibility o f i dentifying the a sh s ource ( Jones 1 984:65-66). Acknowledging that fresh a sh could not o ccur i n ancient marine s ediments, Jones f eels that the a sh t emper was imported and f ollows S immons and B rem ( 1979) i n l inking t rade i n volcanic a sh with t rade i n obsidian. Beyond t his, s he does not pursue the i mplications or ramifications o f volcanic a sh u se. What are t he implications of volcanic a sh i n l owland Maya pottery? G eologically, t he entire Maya l owlands are composed o f marine s ediments o lder than 6 0 million y ears ( Instituto de Geografico Nacional de Guatemala 1 972). The c ore Maya a rea within t he c entral l owlands i s about 3 00 a ir km north o f the nearest active volcanoes i n the Guatemala highlands, and the n earest s ources o f a sh a re no c loser than t he northern Maya h ighlands, s ome 1 50 km f rom t he core Maya a rea. E ither there i s an unrecorded a sh deposit within t he Maya l owlands, or the a sh used i n the ancient Maya pottery was imported.

VOLCANIC A SH TERMINOLOGY AND CHARACTERISTICS Pyroclastic material i s c omposed o f v arying proportions o f vitric, c rystal, or l ithic particles ( Fisher and S chmincke 1 984:91; Williams a nd McBirney 1 979:149). Volcanic a sh ( Figs. 1 a nd 2 ) i s defined a s pyroclastic f ragments, or r ocks expelled f rom a volcanic vent that are l ess than 2 mm in diameter ( Fisher and S chmincke 1 984). Tephra i s a more general t erm that r efers t o pyroclastic f ragments o f a ny s ize ( Thorarinsson 1 974). The v itric p articles o f the volcanic a sh a re minute f ragments o f volcanic g lass. Ash-sized vitric particles a round s ilicic volcanoes s uch a s those found i n Central America commonly f orm f rom t he fragmentation o f pumice, a 4 81

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

I

F ig.

1 .

valley,

Unsorted

Los

Chocoyos

ash

f rom the

Quezaltenago

Guatemala.

F ig. 2 . Washington.

Sorted

Mount

S t.

4 82

Helens

ash

from

western

V olcanic A sh T empering l ight-colored, v esicular volcanic r ock t hat h as c ooled very quickly f rom magma and i s c omprised o f predominantly g lass and f ew c rystals and l ithic f ragments. When t he g lass particles a re f resh, t hey a re very easy t o i dentify with a p etrographic microscope b ecause o f t heir c haracteristic s hapes a nd t heir i sotropic o ptical properties ( Shepard 1 964:379). Crystals i n v olcanic a sh a round s ilicic volcanoes a lso originate f rom f ragmentation o f pumice. T he m inerals i n p umice g enerally d evelop e uhedral, o r w ell-formed, c rystals. The p resence o f e uhedral c rystals i s a d iagnostic c haracteristic f or d istinguishing p yroclastic material f rom n on-pyroclastic s ediments ( Fisher and S chmincke 1 984:103; I sphording and W ilson 1 974:487). Lithic p articles a re t he d ense, n on-vesiculated f ragments i n a p yroclastic deposit ( Wright e t a l. 1 980). The l ithics may f orm f rom n on-vesiculated p arts o f t he c ooling magma o r m ay b e r ock unrelated t o t he e ruption that i s i ncorporated i nto erupting p yroclastic material. L ithic p articles i n a sh-sized material c ommonly c onsist o f nonvolcanic p articles o r n on-vesiculated g lass w ith s mall c rystals i ncluded. Pyroclastic m aterial i s deposited i n a n umber o f ways ( Wright e t a l. 1 980). P yroclastic f lows ( also k nown a s a sh f lows o r n uee a rdentes) a nd pyroclastic s urges a re g ravity-driven c urrents o f p yroclastic material t hat r arely e xtend m ore t han a f ew t ens o f k ilometers f rom a volcanic v ent. W hen pyroclastics a re e jected i nto t he a ir i n an e ruption c olumn, t hey a re m oved by wind a nd f all t hrough t he a tmosphere. The f eatures t hat r esult a re c alled p yroclastic f allout deposits o r a ir f all d eposits ( Williams a nd M cBirney 1 979:149). S ome g eologists ( e.g., M iller 1 980) r estrict t he u se o f t he word t ephra t o pyroclastic f allout. F allout deposits c an e xtend h undreds o r t housands o f k ilometers f rom a v olcanic v ent, a nd t hey g enerally t hin with d istance ( Williams a nd McBirney 1 979:138-144; K ittleman 1 979:55-61). I n s ome c ases, h owever, t hey a re t hin c lose t o t he vent a nd t hen thicken t ens or h undreds o f k ilometers f rom t he v ent ( Brazier e t ' al. 1 983). An e xample c an b e drawn f rom t he 1 980 e ruption o f Mount S t. H elens, where t he t ephra f all t hinned to l ess t han 1 0 mm a t 1 80 km f rom t he vent a nd t hen t hickened t o g reater t han 3 5 mm a t 3 00 km ( Carey a nd S igurdsson 1 982). Deposits o f p yroclastic m aterial c an b e r eworked by w ind, water, a nd b iological a ctivity s o that t he d eposits l ose their o riginal s edimentary c haracteristics. I n a ddition, t he g lass ( vitric) p articles o f t he pyroclastic material d evitrify r apidly during weathering. A sh b eds a f ew centimeters t hick o r l ess i n t ropical a reas a re e specially s usceptible t o r eworking and weathering. T he d evitrification p rocess ( Williams a nd M cBirney 1 979:146) 4 83

Mabel F ord a nd H arry G licken i s a nalogous t o t he hydration p rocess o f o bsidian: water i s a bsorbed on the s urface o f the g lass through d iffusion, a nd t he g lass matrix i s d estroyed ( Fisher and S chmincke 1 984:327-329). This d evitrification o f t he g lass s hards i n volcanic a sh h as b een u sed s uccessfully i n t ephrachronology to d ate t he d eposits ( Steen-McIntyre 1 975, 1 978). C ommonly, t he . o nly r emnant of w eathered v olcanic a sh b eds a re t he c rystals o f t he ash, s uch a s h ornblende, p lagioclase, quartz, a nd b iotite ( Fisher and S chmincke 1 984:103-105). I f a ny v olcanic a sh h ad b een d eposited i n t he o riginal marine s ediments o f the M aya l owlands, t he r esultant m aterial would be c ompletely a ltered o r d evitrified d ue t o t he extensive p eriod of weathering ( e.g., n orthern B elize d eposit r eported i n S immons a nd B rem 1 979:82-83). Volcanic activity i n t he G uatemala h ighlands h as b een c ontinual i n r ecent g eological t imes ( Williams 1 960). F resh a sh d eposits a re k nown t hroughout t he g eneral a rea, i ncluding m ajor d eposits i n t he h ighlands a s well a s r ecognized d eposits i n a ll t he oceans s urrounding M esoamerica ( Drexler e t a l. 1 980; Rose et a l. 1 979). N evertheless, t he f ull e xtent o f t he terrestrial a sh d eposits h as n ot b een i nvestigated.

NATURE O F VOLCANIC ASH I N MAYA C ERAMICS The a sh o f l owland Maya p ottery i s f resh a nd u naltered, r etaining a ll t he c haracteristic s hapes a nd i sotropic p roperties ( Shepard 1 964:29-380; J ones 1 984:558 5). Thus, t he u ltimate s ource o f t he volcanic material must b e s ignificantly more r ecent t han a ny conceivably f ound i n t he l ocal l imestone s ediments. Volcanic a sh i s e vident i n M aya c eramics f rom a ll p eriods, b ut i t i s e specially d iagnostic i n s pecific p astes of t he Late C lassic p eriod. The L ate C lassic p astes demonstrate a n e ffort t o u se volcanic a sh a s a n exclusive t empering a gent. This e ffort c ontrasts with e arlier periods during which o ther materials, e specially c arbonates, were d eliberately a dded o r f ortuitously i ncluded in the c lays c omposing t he p aste. Volcanic a sh w ould b e p referred a s a temper over c arbonates, which a re abundant i n t he f orm of l imestone t hroughout t he l owland Maya r egion. L imestone decomposes i nto l ime ( CaO) at f iring t emperatures p ossibly a s l ow a s 6 00 d egrees C elsius a nd, w ith c ooling, t he p articles r ehydrate c ausing e xpansion t hat c an damage t he vessel walls. Volcanic a sh i s one o f t he most s table a dditives u nder c eramic l ow f iring c onditions a nd will n ot a lter u ntil melting t emperatures a re a ttained, around 1 000 d egrees C elsius ( Shepard 1 964:378-381). A lso, the a ngular s hape o f t he a sh p articles c onfers a dded s trength to the v essel a s c ompared t o more r ounded c arbonate i nclusions 4 84

V olcanic A sh T empering ( Shepard

1 962;

J ones

1 984:60-61).

I n o ur r esearch, L ate C lassic Maya a sh-tempered s herds were e xamined f rom t he T ikal-Yaxha a rea ( Figs. 3 and 4 ), t he c enter o f T ikal, t he upper Belize R iver a rea, and f rom a n umber o f l owland s ites r epresented i n S hepard's p etrographic s lide archives, i ncluding U axactun, S an Jose, and X unantunich. While s ome v ariety i n t he mineral c omposition o f t he s herds was noted, the majority were r elatively u niform i n t heir c omposition. The a verage g lass s hard s ize r anged f rom 0 .15 to 0 .40 mm with very l ittle variability outside t his r ange, i ndicating well s orted s ource m aterial. The a sh s howed n o s igns o f abrasion, which i mplies t hat i t was n ot b roken down f rom l arger f ragments. On t he a verage, t here was a 2 0% a sh c ontent t o t he s herds, a lthough h igher amounts were c ommon. Accessory minerals i ncluded b iotite i n a ll examined s pecimens, q uartz and hornblende i n most, a nd p lagioclase i n s ome. The L ate C lassic volcanic a sh t empered p astes h ave a d istinct f ine s andy t exture ( see S hepard 1 962; J ones 1 984) a nd were oxidized i n f iring t o a l ight c olor o f y ellowish brown to b rownish y ellow--10YR 7 /4, 1 0YR 6 /4, 1 0YR 7 /6, a nd 1 0YR 6 /6 o f the Munsell C olor Chart. T he majority o f L ate C lassic vessels w ith v olcanic a sh t emper a re r eds lipped a nd make up a l arge portion o f the b asic h ousehold i nventory: bowls, j ars, a nd p lates. Most L ate C lassic p olychrome v essels ( vases a nd p lates) a re c omposed o f t he s ame volcanic a sh p astes a s well. There i s n o e vidence o f d ifferential a ccess t o a sh t empered c eramics o n the b asis o f wealth, s tatus, o r d istance f rom c enters. I n f act, evidence f rom t he c enter o f T ikal, t he T ikal S ustaining a rea, t he T ikal-Yaxha a rea, a nd the Y axha-Sacnab a rea ( our own analysis; s ee a lso J ones 1 984; F ry 1 969) s uggests that a ll h ouseholds i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod h ad t he s ame vessel i nventories w ith v olcanic a sh t emper. S pecific f orms c haracteristic o f L ate C lassic a ssemblages c onsist o f i ncurving b owls, n arrow o rifice j ars, and t ripod p lates ( Figs. 5 , 6 , and 7 ). The bowls a nd p lates a re t he s ame s erving a nd s toring v essels d iscussed b y F ry ( 1969, 1 980, a lso F ry a nd C ox 1 974) which a re c haracterized a s b earing " golden m ica" ( Fry 1 969:209, 2 68, 1 979:502) o r " micaceous p aste" ( Fry 1 980:70). These v essels r eported b y F ry a re p robably v olcanic a sh t empered ( see J ones 1 984:70), a s p etrographically a nalyzed s herds o f L ate C lassic b owls and p lates w ith v olcanic a sh h ave b iotite, a type o f mica, p resent. There h ave b een n o r ecordings o f muscovite, a nother k ind o f m ica, i n L ate C lassic M aya c eramics ( see J ones 1 984:Chart 1 ; S hepard n .d.; c f. F ry 1 980:7). All u niform

v olcanic a sh t empered i n macroscopic and 4 85

p ottery i s c omparatively microscopic c omposition

f rom t he

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

5

U C f l

•

( 1 ) U ( l

, Q

f 1

w E • C d 4 -

U

W 0 C d C d 4 4 r ö c dO

E O

4 1

O

t " . 7 )

( 1 )

e

• H 4 J 0 t P • r-1

( 1 • ( 1 ) 3 7 5 • 0 ( c 1 ( C I C l ) Q )

rd

4 ) • H U • o • W C D • E 1 n i

, — I

. Q

0 U

0

( 1 )

X r ' 1

I iI

i t e n , _ •

• r 4

r i 4

4 86

H

C d T) I 0 •

t p

i t

, i Q 1

V olcanic Ash

Tempering

48 7

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

d o g°

5/6I p

9

F ig. F ig.

5 . 4 8).

Late

7f

1 0

C lassic

incurving

4 88

bowls

( after

f e t

Smith

1 955:

V olcanic A sh T empering

2

6 5

1 3 1 5

2 0

1 6

2 3 2 2

F ig. 1 955,

6 . Fig.

Late 5 1).

C lassic

narrow orifice

4 89

j ars

( after

Smith

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

3

IMF

a l l ir

\

6

9

7

1

IN

1 2

2

3

4

C

2

F ig. F ig.

7 . 4 7).

L ate

C lassic

t ripod p lates

4 90

( after

Smith

1 955:

V olcanic A sh T empering ( Shepard 1 962; J ones 1 984). I f a ny c arbonate i s p resent, i t i s in t race p roportions and appears t o b e a ccidental. This s uggests t hat deliberate e fforts w ere made t o avoid t he u nstable c arbonates i n these pastes. V olcanic a sh was p urposely s ought f or t he manufacture o f s pecific v essels u sed in g eneral household a ctivities a s well a s more r estricted e lite u ses. The s ystematic u se o f volcanic a sh i n L ate C lassic h ousehold bowls, j ars, a nd p lates s uggests t hat the s upply o f a sh was s teady a nd d ependable i n t he L ate C lassic and that the " recipe" f or t he p aste was s tandardized throughout t he l owlands. I n c onsidering t he s ource o f t he volcanic a sh t emper, i t i s worth c onsidering t he r esource p rocurement l imits f or ceramic m aterials. T his i s important when e valuating t he costs o f u sing volcanic a sh i n t he Maya l owlands. A rnold ( 1980) c onsiders t he p roblem i n a s ummary o f worldwide e thnographic l iterature on c eramic p roduction. I n t his s ummary, h e emphasizes t hat t here a re p referred p rocurement z ones f or c lays, t empers, a nd p aints u sed f or c eramic p roduction ( Arnold 1 980:148-149). B eyond t he p referred z one i s a maximum p rocurement r ange where r eturns a re s till g reater t han c osts a nd marginal p rocurement r anges where r eturns may e qual c osts. Arnold f ound that t here was variability i n procurement z ones f or c lay, temper, a nd p aints. I n 9 1% o f t he c ases, c lays c ame f rom within a 7 km z one ( with a maximum r ange o f 3 1 km ), a nd in 9 7% o f t he c ases t empers c ame f rom w ithin a 5 km z one ( with a m aximum r ange o f 2 5 km). O nly p aints were d rawn f rom d istances up to 8 80 km, with t he majority ( 67%) o btained w ithin a 4 0 km z one. Arnold s tates t hat the marginal p rocurement r ange f or t emper w as 5 0 km i n extreme c ases. B eyond t hat d istance i t would n ot b e c oste ffective to u se. This d istance would embrace t he c entral M aya l owland r egion a round the c enter o f T ikal, b ut i s not w ithin t he r ange o f known volcanic a sh s ources. Having i dentified t he p resence o f v olcanic a sh i n l owland M aya p ottery, a nd having r ecognized t hat the u ltimate o rigin o f a sh i s f rom volcanoes t hat a re o utside t he l owland M aya r egion, we n ow turn t o t he p roblem o f d etermining t he s ource o f l owland Maya a sh t emper. While t his i ssue c annot b e s ettled a t this t ime, we e xamine p ossibilities t hat c an a ssist i n d irecting the r esolution o f the p roblem. We begin t his quest by examining the r elative q uantities o f a sh u sed i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod. This w ill p rovide a s cale f or c onsidering t he two a lternative s ource l ocations. F irst, we a ssume that every L ate C lassic p eriod Maya h ousehold r eplaced one bowl, o ne j ar, a nd o ne p late o f a sh t empered w are i n a s ingle y ear. A s b owls, j ars, and p lates a re portable a nd w ere r equired by e very h ousehold, r eplacements w ere l ikely m ade a t a h igher r ate t han one p er year ( see D avid and H ennig 1 972; B eals 1 975:326-340; 4 91

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken F ry 1 979:479; Arnold 1 980; Mallory 1 984:267-269). We will a lso a ssume a n a verage weight o f e ach vessel to b e 4 k g, b ased on t he weight o f modern c eramic v essels o f a s ize s imilar t o t he a ncient Maya vessels i n questions a nd the weight o f a ncient Maya s herds t empered with volcanic ash. On t he b asis o f S hepard's petrographic analyses a s well a s our own [ 4] t he proportion o f a sh within the vessels averaged 2 0%, even t hough some were considerably h igher. G iven t hese d ata, we may c onstruct an e stimate o f the average household c onsumption o f volcanic a sh:

3 vessels

2 0% x 0 .8

o f 4 kg - 0 .8 kg p er vessel kg = 2 .4 kg ash p er household

i n

1 y ear

T aking the t otal area o f t he central l owlands a s 1 0,000 s q. km ( 100 by 1 00 km around T ikal), estimating 2 00 p ersons p er s q. km i n the L ate C lassic ( cf. D . Rice 1 976:276), a nd a ssuming that s ix p ersons compose t he average h ousehold, we f ind: 3 33,333 households x 2 .4 kg a sh per household = c a. 8 00,000 kg o f volcanic a sh c onsumed per y ear I f t he a verage i ndividual c an c arry 4 0 k g, each c arrier would b ring a s upply o f a sh t hat would s atisfy the a nnual c onsumption n eeds o f an e stimated 1 7 families ( 0.04 C u. m o f a sh). [ 5] This t ranslates i nto 2 0,000 4 0-kg bags o f v olcanic a sh ( 800 C u. m ) per y ear or 1 ,667 4 0-kg bags ( 67 c u. m o f a sh) p er month c onsumed within the c entral l owland r egion. I t may b e r ecalled that this e stimate i ncludes o nly v essels made f or d omestic c onsumption, and n ot o ther i tems s uch a s vases which were a lso made o f volcanic a sh p astes. C learly, t he L ate C lassic period use o f volcanic a sh was voluminous ( see a lso Jones 1 984:61). T his e stimate o f volcanic a sh c onsumption provides u s w ith a m eans o f g auging i ts importance i n the production o f s pecific household pottery vessels. These computations h ave b een u seful i n understanding t he degree of dependence on v olcanic a sh s upplies i n t he L ate C lassic. I f the p opulation d ensity was only 1 00 persons per sq. km a nd the c onsumption o f a sh was only 1 .2 k g p er h ousehold, d emand f or a sh i n pottery p roduction would s till be high--200,000 k g o f a sh ( 200 cu. m ) p er year o r 5 ,000 4 0-kg b ags per y ear. H ence, i t i s n ot the a bsolute a mount b ut the r elative quantities that a re worth c onsidering. By a ny s tandard, volcanic a sh d emand i n t he Late C lassic was h igh. Far f rom b eing s ocio-economically r estricted i n d istribution, a sh t empered c eramic f orms were s tandard u tility vessels, employed at t he basic h ousehold l evel a nd r eplaced at a h igh l evel ( ca. 4 1% o f m idden s herd c ollections around T ikal; F ry 1 979:496, 1 980:5). A sh t empered p ottery w as not r are in t he Late C lassic; on t he c ontrary, i ts absence i s r are. 4 92

V olcanic A sh T empering S OURCE O F VOLCANIC ASH TEMPER Exotics a re a lways s pecialized i n t heir u se a nd r estricted i n d istribution. The quantity o f volcanic a sh t emper i n L ate C lassic Maya h ousehold c eramics f inds n o p arallel i n o ther o bvious l ong d istance t rade i tems. U nlike t he c eramics with volcanic a sh t emper, exotic i tems s uch a s o bsidian a re n ot a s g enerally available a nd a re n ot c learly employed i n ordinary household ways. Even t hough o bsidian a ppears accessible t o most h ouseholds, t he r elative f requencies o r densities a re very l ow ( Sidrys 1 976). The h ighest overall L ate C lassic o bsidian d ensities i n t he c entral Maya l owlands were f ound a t T ikal, a nd e ven then t hey were only 1 5.3 gm/cu. m . I n t he r esidential z one b etween T ikal and Yaxha t he average o bsidian d ensity i s 2 .7 gm/cu. m . These l ow d ensities o f o bsidian a re c ontrasted w ith t he f act that most o f the f ine household wares o f the L ate C lassic were t empered w ith v olcanic a sh ( see F ry 1 969:209, 1 979:502; J ones 1 984:20-21). I f v olcanic a sh w as a l ong d istance import i nto t he l owlands, t ransport c osts would i nclude t he major movement b etween t he M aya h ighlands and l owlands and t he i nternal l owland M aya r egional exchange. I f t he volcanic a sh s ource w as available within t he l owlands, there would only b e the c osts o f the l ocal exchange. E ither way, l arge a mounts o f v olcanic a sh, d estined f or t empering i n Maya p ottery, were r egularly employed i n c eramic p roduction i n t he Late C lassic p eriod. Long-distance t rade i n volcanic a sh i s c onceivable w hen o ne r ecognizes t hat t here a re major waterways o riginating i n t he h ighlands on the e ast and west o f the c entral M aya l owlands. The possible s ources o f volcanic a sh would b e a bout 1 50 km d istance f rom t he majority o f l owland c onsumers and would b e t ransported v ia water and l and t o t he l owland d istribution c enters. O n t he e ast, w ater t ransport w ithin t he b arrier r eef, a long t he c oast o f Belize, a nd u p t he B elize R iver w ould b ring g oods w ithin a three d ay walk o f T ikal. T he western r ivers, d raining d irectly f rom t he h ighlands, would b ring g oods w ithin a f our-to-five d ay walk o f T ikal. B oth r outes p ut t he procurement d istance b eyond Arnold's ( 1980) marginal r ange, i mplying t he i mportation o f volcanic a sh was u neconomical. T he p rehistoric l owland Maya, h owever, may p resent a n u nusual c ase when c eramic material n eeds a re c onsidered. T he p oor q uality o f t he l ocal a lternative c arbonate t emper s ources c ompared w ith t he p otential b enefits o f volcanic a sh a s a s table t empering a gent c ould h ave b een s ufficient i ncentive to s upport l ong d istance i mportation.

4 93

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken I f there a re a sh d eposits i n t he M aya l owlands, their o rigin must h ave b een f rom e ruptions o f volcanoes outside t he r egion, b ecause there were n o volcanoes a ctive i n Q uaternary t imes w ithin the l owland Maya a rea. T here a re, h owever, many volcanoes t hroughout Mexico a nd Central America t hat h ave p roduced a ir f all tephra that may h ave b lanketed t he l owland M aya r egion and, t hus, p rovided a l ocal s ource o f , volcanic a sh. T he L os Chocoyos a sh, e rupted f rom t he Atitlan c aldera i n the G uatemala h ighlands a bout 8 4,000 years ago, i s c hemically c orrelatable w ith a sh b eds f ound i n deep-sea d rill cores i n t he G ulf o f M exico and the C aribbean s ea, s uggesting t hat t he M aya a rea was c overed w ith 1 -10 cm o f s ilicic t ephra a bout 8 4,000 y ears a go ( Drexler e t a l. 1 980). Most r ecently, t he 1 982 e ruption o f E l Chichon i n C hiapas, Mexico, d eposited a l ight d usting o f a sh over t he Maya l owlands ( Carey a nd S igurdsson 1 986; a lso p ersonal o bservation). There a re a lso many documented P leistocene e ruptions i n Guatemala that p roduced more than 0 .1 cu. km o f t ephra ( Rose e t a l. 1 981), and many o f these p robably a lso b lanketed t he l owland Maya r egion. I t i s l ikely t hat many u ndocumented H olocene e ruptions p roduced tephra b lankets w idely d ispersed enough t o h ave c overed t he l owlands. G eological f ield work i n B elize i n 1 983 f ailed t o l ocate any d eposits o f volcanic a sh with abundant f resh g lass s hards s uch a s t hose f ound i n t he Late C lassic v essels. S tream a nd l ake s ediments f rom t hroughout Belize a s w ell a s m iddens f rom e xcavation by t he B elize River A rchaeological S ettlement S urvey i n t he B elize R iver area w ere examined w ith b inocular and petrographic m icroscopes. Nevertheless, e uhedral crystals o f h ornblende a re p resent i n s tream s ediments. These may b e r emnants o f pyroclastic f allout d eposits i n the a rea, t he t ropical weathering h aving broken d own t he v itric p articles that f orm t he major c omponent o f a sh. The m ineralogy o f t he volcanic a sh t emper o f ancient Maya p ottery i s c onsistent with a shes t hat were e rupted f rom v olcanoes i n n orthern Central America ( Rose et a l. 1 981). Consequently, i t i s p ossible t hat an a s-yetu ndocumented eruption o r eruptions o f one o r more v olcanoes outside t he l owland M aya a rea d eposited l ayers o f a ir f all t ephra i n the l owland M aya a rea. T he a ncient Maya c ould h ave c ollected t his m aterial f or u se a s a sh t emper b efore i t was r eworked, weathered, a nd incorporated i nto t he s oil. T he e uhedral h ornblende p resent i n s ediments i n B elize i s l ikely a r elic o f s uch tephra l ayers. T he L os Chocoyos a sh m ineralogy ( Rose et a l. 1 979) c orrelates w ith t hat o f t he L ate C lassic ash-tempered c eramics ( e.g., F ig. 3 a nd 4 ). H owever, this a sh could only b e t he s ource o f t he a sh t emper i n Maya pottery i f i t 4 94

V olcanic A sh T empering was imported i nto t he a rea f rom t he h ighlands. T he Los Chocoyos d eposit i s about 8 4,000 y ears o ld and t he 1 -10 cm o f Los C hocoyos a sh f all i n t he Maya l owlands must h ave been r eworked a nd weathered within a f ew thousand y ears o f deposition. A s a consequence, i t would n ot have b een available a s f resh, u naltered a sh i n the Maya l owlands during t he L ate C lassic p eriod. A well-known a sh d eposit c alled the " tierra b lanca j oven" o r " tbj" t ephra e rupted c a. 2 60 AD f rom t he L ago de I lopango b asin i n c entral E l S alvador ( Hart a nd S teenMcIntyre 1 983) a nd c ould have b een a vailable i n t he M aya l owlands d uring t he L ate C lassic period. H owever, this c annot b e t he s ource o f t he a sh t emper, b ecause t he mineralogy i s v ery d ifferent. The " tbj" t ephra l acks quartz, which i s p resent i n a bundance i n t he a sh t empered Maya pottery, a nd t he " tbj" tephra i ncludes c linopyroxene ( Hart and S teen-McIntyre 1 983), which i s n ot present i n any of the a sh t empered pottery o f the Maya l owlands. Currently, w ith n o known f resh volcanic a sh d eposit within the l owland Maya r egion, i t i s d ifficult t o determine h ow t he ancient Maya may have p rocured t heir volcanic a sh f or c eramic t emper. The quantity o f a sh u sed i n the L ate C lassic period points t o a l ocal s ource, g iven the knowledge o f p rocurement s trategies o f potters ( Arnold 1 980). M inerals a nd c rystals o f p yroclastic origin h ave been i dentified i n t he a lluvial d eposits o f B elize, i ndicating t hat l ocal a ir f all d eposits o f volcanics h ave o ccurred i n the p ast. A lso, pumice h as b een c ollected o ff the coast o f B elize w ithin t he p rotected waters o f t he barrier r eef ( Nicolait 1 984, p ersonal c ommunication) and has been e xcavated f rom a rchaeological d eposits ( Fig. 8 ) on Moho C ay ( McKillop 1 980, personal c ommunication). T his c ould h ave been c ollected a nd g round up f or t emper. I t i s u nlikely, h owever, t hat p umice i s t he s ource o f t he volcanic material o f c entral l owland M aya p ottery. Experimental g rinding o f l arge pumice p ieces c ollected i n the coastal w aters o f B elize d emonstrated that p ulverized o r ground v olcanic g lass appears abraded microscopically, and there a re n o f ree a sh s hards ( see d iscussion i n S hepard 1 962, 1 964:379) a s i dentified i n t he L ate C lassic c eramic t hin s ections. The o bject n ow i s to develop a c omparative s tudy o f the extent o f v olcanic a sh u se i n c eramics o f t he c entral Maya l owlands a nd b eyond. This s hould b egin w ith a s tandardized d escription o f t he m ineralogy o f t he a sh t empered c eramics f ollowed b y a c orrelation o f t he mineralogy and c hemistry o f t he g lass a nd c rystals w ith k nown volcanic a sh d escriptions f rom t he h ighlands o f G uatemala.[6] T ephra hydration m easurements on t he g lass s hards o f t he p ottery t emper could b e attempted a nd may prove u seful a ssociating t ephra d eposits w ith t he a sh t emper ( Steen-McIntyre 1 978, 1 981). These analyses would 4 95

A nabel F ord a nd H arry G licken

1

1 1,

F ig. 8 . Pumice from the archaeological Cay ( excavated by H . McKillop).

4 96

deposits

at

Moho

V olcanic A sh T empering n arrow the possibilities o f s ource v olcanoes a nd a sh d eposits a nd c ould p rovide c lues to t he o rigin--local or l ong d istance--of the volcanic a sh u sed by t he L ate C lassic period Maya.

C ONCLUSIONS I n s ummary, f ifty y ears a go Anna 0 . S hepard i dentified a s ignificant i ssue i n the production o f L ate C lassic p eriod h ousehold vessels: t he u se o f v olcanic a sh t emper. This i ssue h as been l argely l eft dormant a nd t he i mplications u ninvestigated. We h ave r esurrected i t h ere i n a n e ffort t o d raw a ttention t o the magnitude o f the p roblem a nd e ncourage more r esearch t oward i ts r esolution. I n e xamining t he d ata i n t heir p reliminary f orm i t i s c lear that l arge q uantities o f v olcanic a sh were u sed r egionally i n L ate C lassic household c eramic wares. T he p rojected annual c onsumption over 3 00 y ears t ranslates i nto an a sh d eposit o f a t l east 1 ,200 ha. a nd 2 m eters thick or a 1 c m d eposit over a 2 5 s q. km a rea.[7] Volcanic a sh, i f i t e xists w ithin t he l owlands, i s c ertainly i n d iscrete l ocations, a s s ettlement a nd g eological s urveys i n t he c entral Maya a rea h ave f ailed to e ncounter s uch d eposits. I t i s u nlikely t he a sh was d erived f rom p umice, known t o be occasionally available on the coast o f B elize a nd Y ucatan. T he p resence o f a r egional l owland volcanic a sh s ource would most p arsimoniously a ccount f or t he e xtensive d istribution o f a ncient Maya c eramics w ith volcanic a sh t emper. O n the o ther h and, t he advantages o f t he u se o f v olcanic a sh a s t emper m ay h ave p rovided the i ncentive f or l ong d istance t rade. R egardless o f t he s ource l ocation, t rade and e xchange o f volcanic a sh t emper f igures prominently i n the L ate C lassic period.

Acknowledgments This p aper i s t he r esult o f the h elp o f many. An i ntroduction t o t he i mportance o f p etrography i s c redited t o the g eologists i n t he D epartment o f G eology, U CSB. I mmeasurable a ssistance was f reely g iven by D iana K amilli, who spent much t ime w ith me o ver S hepard's s lides. P artial f unding was g iven by s igma X i f or t hin s ections. Through t his work, we h ave gained a g reat r espect f or Anna O . S hepard.

Notes Present a ddress: U .S. Geological S urvey, Volcano Observatory, 5 400 McArthur, Vancouver, WA 4 97

C ascades 9 8661.

A nabel F ord and H arry G licken [ 1] appear l ight.

I sotropic materials diffract l ight such b lack through a microscope with crossed

that they polarized

[ 2] Ford has i nterviewed a number of individuals who knew Anna 0 . S hepard personally. A ll these individuals worked w ith her as archaeologists and geologists: J . Boles ( 1979) P rofessor of Geology, University o f California at S anta Barbara; W . Towenhoffel ( 1980) U .S. Geological S urvey, Special Projects, Denver, Colorado; V . Broman de Morales ( 1985) a rchaeologist, Guatemala City; M . Bullard ( 1980) anthropologist and h istorian, New Bedford, Ma.; E . S hook ( 1981) archaeologist, Antigua, Guatemala. [ 3] Specific s lides o f c entral Maya l owlands ceramics f rom Anna O . Shepard's archives at the University o f Colorado, Boulder are n oteworthy a s they r epresent examples o f volcanic a sh t empering. These include the f ollowing catalog s lides: S an J ose: 1 838, 1 840, 1 912, 1 913; and Uaxactun: 2 527, 2 582, 2 105 [ 4] Our analysis was a ided by a n umber of professionals. We t hank J im Boles ( Geology, University of California, S anta Barbara), Mac Beggs ( Geology, University o f California, S anta Barbara), and Diana Kamilli ( University Museum, University o f Colorado a t boulder) for their valuable assistance. [ 5] Ash volume was c ollected i n 1 981 in S teen-McIntyre ( 1978:24)

computed b ased on samples of ash the h ighlands o f Guatemala and on and Shipley ( 1983:31).

[ 6] S tudies f ocused on the more recent eruptions are c urrently being a ssembled by Rose and others and will provide an important basis for this c omparison. [ 7] An average eruption of s ilicic a sh discharges around 1 c u. km of material, l arger eruption c an e ject as much as 1 6-24 c u. km ( Williams and McBirney 1 979:148).

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M arilyn P .

B eaudry

The s outheast Maya a rea has b een d elineated i n v arious ways b y s cholars u sing d ifferent c riteria and f ocusing on d ifferent t ime p eriods. G enerally, h owever, t here would b e a greement t hat Copan a nd Quirigua were major population c enters that, during t he L ate C lassic p eriod ( AD 6 50-850), manifested t he h allmarks o f the Maya culture. Taking those two c enters a s f ocal points, I b roadly d efine t he s outheastern Maya a rea a s that s hown i n F igure 1 f or t he period with which I w ill deal. A lso s hown i n t hat f igure are adjacent a reas b eyond t he Maya z one.

POLYCHROMES

I N THE

SOUTHEAST MAYA AREA

With r espect to an operational definition o f " polychrome," t his c ategory o f c eramics i ncludes t hose that Fry ( 1979:496) termed " serving vessels"--a f unctional c ategory that n either presupposes a r estriction i n availability t o a certain s egment o f t he s ociety nor a ssumes characteristics o f p roduction o r d istribution. Within that c lass " polychrome" i ndicates t he u se o f three o r more p igmented materials a s s urface d ecoration. U sually t his i nvolves the u se o f a s lip p lus at l east two d ifferent c olors o f p aint. Theoretically, three paints c ould be u sed on a n unslipped surface but t hat o ccurs very s eldom, i f ever, o n s erving vessels. I mplicit i n the polychrome c lassification i n the Maya a rea i s t he u se o f d esign motifs t o d ecorate t he vessel, r ather than the application o f only s olid a reas o f c olor. Within t radition i s L ate C lassic vessels nor quantities.

t he s outheast Maya area, a p olychrome most c learly s een a t Copan, b ecause i n the Q uiriqua neither produced polychrome s erving i mported this type o f c eramic i n s ignificant Thus t he f ocus o f t he d iscussion i s Copan 5 03

M arilyn P . B eaudry

• ••

•••• • .

d a»• ••

e n .

• ••

• ••

c en t ra l z one t i ka l OD . 0• • • •,„ • • •• • • •

•• « an

•• • • ••

•

am .

A se iba l p as ion z one M M.

• • • • ••

• k j / SW e

4•

C hti a P ad ik

•

h ondur as •

w1 W e

• -

•

o r

sh ondu ras / a s t s a lvado r/

I .

•

F ig.

1 .

S outheast Maya

r ••

z one and adjacent

5 04

areas.

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery c eramics a nd i s c onfined to L ate C lassic p eriod p olychromes. There a re examples o f Early C lassic basal f lange p olychromes a t C opan -Viel ( 1983:509) i dentified 9 3 s herds o f Dos Arroyos group i n h is s tratigraphic s equence-b ut the quantity i s s o l imited that t he i ssue o f whether t hese were l ocally made or imported i s unsettled. Three main polychrome c eramic units o ccur i n t he L ate C lassic C oner c omplex a t C opan: the Copador g roup, Gualpopa g roup, a nd C aterpillar type. Additionally a c losely a llied r ed p ainted r esist d ecorated g roup, Chilanga R ed p ainted U sulutan, a lso i s f ound i n C oner c ontexts. Three o f these groups ( Copador, Gualpopa, and Chilanga) i nclude c losely r elated t ypes and v arieties f ully described by S harer ( 1978) b ased on their occurrence a t Chalchuapa. A s ummary description o f t hese g roups a nd o f the C aterpillar t ype, based o n C opan excavations, i s p rovided by Viel ( 1983). A c eramic

b rief r eview o f g roup f ollows:

the

i dentifying a ttributes

f or

e ach

Copador: 1 ) s pecular h ematite or deep purple, r ed, b lack, and u sually o range p aint on a c ream or o range s lipped b ackground; 2 ) g lyphic, human, b ird, and g eometric motifs; a nd 3 ) f ine cream to l ight " buff" paste ( 10YR 8 /3; 7 .5YR 8/4) , s oft and f ine i n texture. Gualpopa: 1 ) r ed ( not s pecular h ematite) and b lack p aint on a n orange to orange-cream s lipped background; 2 ) s imple animal a nd g eometric motifs ( similar t o Chilanga but with additional b lack p aint u sed a s an outline or f ill); 3 ) c ream t o l ight " buff" f ine paste ( 10YR 8 /3; 7 .5YR 8 /4); 4 ) c onvex wall ( hemispherical) b owl a s the dominant s hape; a nd 5 ) i nterior o ften l eft u ndecorated. Caterpillar: 1 ) s hallow, thick walled d ishes o n h igh tripod s upports; 2 ) heavy l ine decoration u sually i n specular h ematite r ed a nd b lack paint; 3 ) s imple g lyphs and monkeys a s f requent motifs; a nd 4 ) orange p aste ( 7.5YR 6 /6, 6 /8), r ather c oarse i n texture. Chilanga: 1 ) r ed paint over an o range s lip with U sulutan d ecoration; 2 ) s imple r ed geometric d esigns a nd monkey motifs on t he exterior; f ine l ine o r " blotchy" U sulutan o n i nterior; 3 ) dominant shape o f open bowl; and 4 ) s oft c ream to l ight " buff" p aste ( 10YR 8 /3; 7 .5YR 8 /4) l ike Copador and G ualpopa. E xtensive t race e lemental a nalysis o f s outheastern Maya c eramics s howed t hat t he c ream p aste p ainted s erving vessels ( Copador, Gualpopa, a nd to a l esser e xtent, Chilanga) were f rom a r estricted production a rea, most l ikely the Copan v alley ( Beaudry 1 984; B ishop et a l., i n press; Bishop a nd B eaudry n .d.). P roduction was n ot confined t o a f ew l arge workshops; both s ubtle paste 5 05

M arilyn P . B eaudry d ifferences a nd p roduction units

d ecorative variability ( Beaudry 1 984).

s uggest

s maller

Turning t o d istribution, a d etailed r eview was c arried o ut o f a ll known s ites with Late C lassic o ccupation i n Honduras, E l S alvador, a nd p arts o f G uatemala ( the s emiarid e astern l owlands, S anta Rosa, and p arts o f I zabal t hat i nclude t he l ower Motagua v alley) ( Fig. 2 ). S ites, i dentified according to the presence o r a bsence o f C opador, were p lotted a nd the distribution p attern analyzed. The r esults s howed s trong d irectionality o f d istribution f rom t he Copan a rea. B eyond a 5 0 km r adius f rom C opan the l ong d istance d istribution w as s trongly a ssociated w ith s ettlements i n western a nd c entral E l S alvador, a s well a s with s ome l oci i n t he mountainous r egion n ear t he Guatemala-El S alvador b order. I t i s i nteresting to note t hat s everal Guatemalan s ites w ith Copador a re n ear the l arge I xtepeque o bsidian s ource u sed i n precolumbian t imes. The E l S alvador " connection" h as f requently been c ommented on f rom g eneral i mpressions of c eramic a ssemblages. ( See Beaudry 1 984:24-29 f or a s ummary o f the a rchaeological h istory o f Copador's r eputation a s a trade g ood.) The s ite-by-site a nalysis o bjectively c onfirmed t hese impressions. I t a lso r einforced t he estimates o f t he q uantity o f Copador t hat w as moved. A lthough t he a nalysis was done on a presence/absence basis, 4 1% of t he k nown s ites w ith L ate C lassic o ccupation had C opador c eramics. T his does n ot i nclude i solated f inds o r m aterials d escribed a s " Copador-like" ( Beaudry 1 984:215).

COPADOR

POLYCHROME

C opador h as b een d escribed a s a development out o f Gualpopa and l ess d irectly f rom Chilanga ( Sharer 1 978:515 2, 1 18; V iel 1 983:520). Copador c ertainly i s a part o f t he s ame p aste ware t radition but I b elieve there a re more d ifferences t han a re u sually acknowledged between Copador and t he o ther c ream p aste c eramic g roups. A s p otters e ngage i n their c raft, they make a number o f decisions which a re r eflected i n t he f inal p roduct. A fter t he s election o f raw materials and b efore t he f iring o f t he p ottery, decisions a re made about t he s hape of t he v essel, p aints t o b e u sed f or d ecoration, t he spatial o rganization o f the design f ield, a nd design e lements t o b e employed i n t he decoration. T he cream paste ceramics will be r eviewed i n t erms o f t hese f our s ets of p roduction d ecisions t hat can r esult i n d istinct pottery s tyles. F orm o r T he

S hape s hape

f requencies

are 5 06

d ifferent within the

t hree

d istribution

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery

e m s

0 d t eal

w i t

i n which

0

( L S L i •

( C I

H " C ( C I

•

C-1 0 0 W U ) r z i C 1 ) •• H

• t : D ( C I • H 4 1

5 07

M arilyn P . B eaudry

groups. Copador h as a r ecurved bowl does Chilanga or Gualpopa ( Table 1 ).

Table 1 . P ercentages S erving Vessels.

o f

Shapes

Copador ( n=167)

S hape

o f

f orm more

C ream

Gualpopa ( n=63)

o ften t han

Paste

P ainted

Chilanga ( n=41)

R ecurved bowls

4 0.1%

1 1.1%

1 9.5%

Open bowls

2 7.5

6 1.9

3 9.0

Vases

1 6.8

1 9.0

1 4.6

4 .2

1 .6

4 .9

J ars O ther

bowls*

7 .8

2 .4

C ups

2 .4

6 .3

9 .8

D ishes

1 .2

-

7 .3

-

2 .4

P lates

* Markedly

i ncurving,

f lared,

or outcurving

P aint Copador b ears a d istinctive red h ematite ( iron oxide) p aint with s pecular particles i n i t. Gualpopa and C hilanga u se t he more w idespread n on-specular h ematite material. Both specular and non-specular paints were p repared t he s ame way, that i s, by adding the p igmenting o r coloring material to c lay that h ad basically t he s ame c omposition a s t he b ody o f t he vessel to be d ecorated ( Beaudry 1 985a). Thus the change i n paint material b etween c eramic g roups does not r epresent a technological c hange but r ather the i ntroduction o f a new raw m aterial. S pecular h ematite makes i ts f irst appearance at Copan i n the Acbi complex ( Early C lassic) on the minor type, S ovedeso N egative P ainted ( Viel 1 983:517). The paste o f S ovedeso i s d escribed a s " beige o r o range, reminiscent o f t hat o f I zalco U sulutan" ( ibid.). The Caterpillar type, which i s f irst s een i n the l ate Acbi and e arly Coner p hase, a lso utilizes specular hematite pigment.

5 08

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery S patial

o rganization o f

t he d esign f ield

I n examining t his a spect o f c eramics, i t i s important t o hold f orm c onstant b ecause s hape h as a n obvious i nfluence on h ow the available space i s c onceived and u tilized. This s ample s ize i s l imited a nd o nly the open bowl f orm i s w ell-represented i n the t hree c ream paste g roups. With r espect t o the exterior d esign f ield, there was general c ongruence a cross t he g roups i n t erms of the overall o rientation o f t he d esign f ield. That i s, s urfaces were s ystematically d ivided i nto r im a reas, wall r egister, and e xterior base. H owever, s everal d ifferences occur: 1 .) C opador open bowls more c onsistently a re divided into two exterior r egisters t han a re e ither Chilanga or Gualpopa ( Table 2 ).

Table 2 . S patial O rganization o f the Exterior D ecorative S urface o f Open B owls ( Cream P aste S erving V essels).

# r egisters

G ualpopa ( n=27)

C hilanga ( n=14)*

One

1 7.4%

3 3.3%

5 7.1%

Two

8 0.4

6 6.7

4 2.9

Three

* Not

C opador ( n=46)

recorded

2 .1

f or s piral

bowls

2 .) Chilanga, a nd t o a g reater e xtent Gualpopa, s ometimes employed a d ifferent d esign p attern. This l ayout i s r eferred to a s a " spiral" ( Longyear 1 952:58) and u ses the entire exterior f ield f rom the l ip o nto the c onvex base o f a b owl a s o ne c ontinuous a rea f or d ecoration ( Fig. 3 ). I t has n ot been encountered on a C opador vessel. With r espect t o t he i nterior d esign f ield, t he d ifferences among t he g roups pertain to decisions whether o r n ot t o d ecorate the i nterior w all a nd b ase o f the v essel. I nterior r im bands were u sed on a ll t he open b owls o f the t hree c ream paste groups. C opador o pen bowls were much more f requently d ecorated w ith p ainted d esigns t han were e ither C hilanga o r G ualpopa ( Table 3 ). This variation i n i nterior decoration i s not due t o s hape c onsiderations b ecause height a nd r im d iameters a re r oughly equivalent i n t he t hree g roups. 5 09

M arilyn P . B eaudry

F ig. 3 . types.

S piral

bowl

l ayout,

Chilanga

Table 3 . Treatment of the I nterior Wall ( Cream P aste S erving Vessels).

I nterior wall P ainted motifs

Copador ( n=46) 4 0

U sulutan decoration

0

P lain

6

s lipped

Gualpopa ( n=27)

and

of

Gualpopa

Open

Bowls

Chilanga ( n=14)

5 3 1 7

Obliterated/missing

1 4

2

D esign E lements Very f ew d esign e lements f ound on the exteriors of Copador vessels a re u sed on e ither o f the other two c ream p aste c eramics ( Tables 4 and 5 ). As can be s een, only G lyph C ( Longyear 1 952:61) i s s hared by C opador and Gualpopa while a monkey representation occurs on a ll t hree t ypes. The designs most f requently and c losely associated w ith Copador--glyphs other t han C , seated f igures, swimming or r eclining f igures--do not h ave precedents i n e ither Gualpopa o r Chilanga. I llustrations o f a ll o f the design e lements c an be f ound in B eaudry 1 984, Appendix E . 5 10

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery Table 4 . Exterior Decorative Motif a nd Gualpopa Types.

E xterior G lyphs G lyph

C ,

Swimming Monkey,

Copador ( n=46*)

r egisters

( A,

B ,

Combinations,

C )

a lone o r

in combination

6

f igures

1 5

a lone or

i n

c ombination

4 8

A ll

4

other motifs a lone

or

Gualpopa ( n=27)

3 5

Geometric design

B ird,

Copador

1

in c ombination

2

Complex U s hapes

9

Other,

one motif

6

Other,

more

3

t han o ne motif

* Totals more than r egister vessels

Table Type.

5 .

Motif

combinations

4 6

because o f

d ifferent motifs on

Exterior Decorative Motif

Combinations,

Register

Discrete s olid

l inear or painted areas

Continuous

l inear

S imple discrete

s hape

Register

1

4

4

4

3

1

Monkey

1

r egister only

Chilanga

4

More c omplex geometric shape

One

1

6

5 11

two-

2

M arilyn P . B eaudry The much more f requent u se o f p ainted d ecoration on the i nterior o f Copador open vessels t han on Gualpopa has a lready b een mentioned. Among the f ew Gualpopa vessels that a re i nterior-decorated, 8 0% u se a b ird motif; on C opador open b owls, h owever, g lyphs are u tilized more o ften t han b irds, while on Copador r ecurved bowls are more c ommon t han g lyphs a nd the f orm o f t he bird i s different ( Fig. 4 ). The motifs on Caterpillar p lates i nclude monkeys and G lyph C , both o f which a re shared by Copador a nd Gualpopa. A lso, another non-cream paste polychrome s hould b e mentioned, i .e., Arambala, o ften c alled " false C opador" and f irst f ully d escribed a t Chalchuapa ( Sharer 1 978:56-59). The s trongly modal s hape o f this type i s the r ecurved bowl ( 70.3%, 2 6/37). A c luster analysis done i n c onjunction with a d esign s tudy o f these p ainted types s howed that a s izable Arambala g roup c ombined the s ame s et o f d ecorative variables a s in one Copador c luster ( Beaudry 1 984:192-193). Thus, i t s eems that Arambala i s imitative o f C opador a s p reviously s uggested by Longyear ( 1952:64) and S harer ( 1978:58) and does not s trongly relate to Gualpopa ( Viel 1 983:583).

a

F ig. u sed b owl

4 . B ird d esign on r ecurved bowl i nterior.

u sed on C opador bowls: a ) variety i nterior; b ) variety u sed on open

5 12

S outheast M aya P olychrame P ottery I f C opador d id n ot g radually evolve f rom t he c ream p aste s tyles a lready i n t he C opan valley, f rom where d id i ts i nspiration c ome? I b elieve that t his b oldly d ecorated, e asily i dentifiable t ype was d eliberately c reated f or u se i n t he C opan valley a nd f or e xport away f rom the political a nd c ultural c enter o f t he M aya z one. T he s tyle was n ot a t otal d isjunction i n c eramic t radition nor s o r adical a s to preclude i ts a cceptance by p otential c ustomers. F irst, C opador c ontinued t he c ream p aste t radition, well-established i n the s outheast p eriphery. Then i t c apitalized upon t he d istinctive h ematite p igment t hat had r ecently b een d iscovered o r made a vailable by t rade. I t u tilized a f ew known designs--the monkey and G lyph C --but e xpanded t he d esign r epertoire with motifs t hat h ad a " legitimacy" o f a ssociation with Maya a rtistic and epigraphic t raditions: g lyphs, r ichly adorned s eated f igures, a nd e longated h uman r epresentations. With r espect t o g lyphs, Longyear ( 1952:60-62) d iscusses e ach o f t he " standard" g lyphs on C opador p ottery i n s ome d etail a nd l ooks f or a nalogs i n t he c odices. There may h ave b een s ome i ntended meaning i n these d esigns but I t hink i t more l ikely t hat the a ssociated i dea o f Maya s ocial i dentification w as b eing s ignalled by g lyphic u se. A s imilar e xample o f p seudo-oriental characters c an be f ound on export a rtware today. T he b asic c oncept o f a s eated human f igure c an b e found on polychrome c eramics f rom v arious p arts o f t he Maya a rea a s w ell a s on s ome c arved monuments. S everal a spects, h owever, d istinguish t hose on C opador v essels. For e xample, t hey a re n ot f ound on open bowls a nd o nly i nfrequently on c ylindrical vases. Their p rovenience i s t he u pper r egister o f t he r ecurved bowls where i n a lmost a ll c ases t hey f ace t o t he r ight. O ther d istinguishing characteristics i nclude t he f act t hat t hey do n ot f ace each o ther to f orm a ny k ind o f " scene" and that t hey a re p ictured i n a f orward-leaning p ose with t he upper t orso usually bent r ather s harply f rom t he waist. O ther c haracteristics, s uch a s t he f requently exaggerated, g esturing h ands, t he p resence o f e laborate " double U " e lements i n f ront o f the f igure s eparating h im f rom t he n ext i ndividual, t he " beads" t hat e xtend d own t he back, wristlets, e tc., a re a ll s tandardized to a chieve t he e ffect o f what L ongyear c alled " the C opador man." S everal d epictions o f s imilar s eated f igures h ave been o bserved but n ot f rom c ontexts with c lear t emporal p riority: o ne f rom L agartero and two f rom Z acualpa ( Figs. 5 and 6 ). More d etailed work n eeds t o be done e valuating the c ostume e lements, t he p ose, a nd o ther f eatures o f these motifs. I t would b e t empting t o s ee t he f orwardl eaning Copador p ose a s a c onvention adopted because o f the v essel s hape, t hat i s, t he upper t orso i s a ngled 5 13

M arilyn P . B eaudry

F ig. 5 . c ylinder

S eated f igure, ( after Ekholm 1 977).

F ig.

6 .

f rom

Z acualpa

S eat,-2 d ( after

f igure, Lothrop

L agartero

Chama 1 936). 5 14

style

orange

polychrome

polychrome

vessels

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery f orward to p rovide more s pace f or p ainting the details o f t he f igure, i ncluding dress a nd ornaments. O n t he o ther h and, t he pose may have been adapted f rom p ictorial s cenes where s eated f igures f acing e ach o ther l ean f orward to g esture o r engage i n s ome activity ( see F ig. 6 ). The e longated f igure i s p erhaps t he most i nteresting o f the Copador d esign motifs. There are p recedents f or t he depiction o f an animate f orm--both h uman a nd b ird--in a n e longated p ose, t he majority o f which occur on basal f lange p olychromes f rom the E arly C lassic p eriod. The a ssociation b etween f orm a nd design i s quite c learcut on t hese e arlier v essels. The s urface a rea available f or p ainting on t he wall o f a basal f lange bowl i s l imited a nd t his may h ave l ed to the c onvention o f n arrowing and e longating t he s hape t o a dapt an a nimate f orm to this a rea. C oggins ( 1975:106) c omments o n t he a bsence o f e longated human a nd b ird f igures a t T ikal i n c ontrast t o t heir p revalence a t nearby U axactun. S he r eports t hat the T zakol I I b asal f lange bowls f rom U axactun have smaller u pper wall a reas t han t he T ikal e xamples, thus implying a f orm-based r eason f or t he s tyle. S he a lso s tates that t he s hape a nd t he d esign t reatment were imported f rom t he e ast ( Holmul a nd S an J ose). I ncidentally, Smith ( 1955: Table 1 5) reports t hat e longated f igures a re t he t hird most c ommon motif f or T zakol I I a t U axactun, a ppearing o n 6 1 o ut of 3 94 v essels. F igure 7 s hows s ome o f t he U axactun e longated f igures.

F ig. 7 . E longated ( after Smith 1 955).

f igures,

5 15

T zakol

I I vessels,

U axactun

M arilyn P . B eaudry Another e xample on a basal f lange polychrome i s a conventionalized parrot on Nebaj v essels ( Fig. 8 ), which i s s een a s U sumacinta-related ( either imported or i nfluenced f rom P eten) because nothing s imilar had been f ound at nearby h ighland s ites ( Smith and K idder 1 951). A lso i n the Guatemala h ighlands, a n e longated figure i s f ound on a Chama-style vessel f rom a vaulted tomb at Z acualpa ( Fig. 9 ). Because i t i s assumed that the distinctive Chama s tyle i s generally Late C lassic, this example could be coeval with C opador r ather than antecedent to i t. However, its existence i s interesting in v iew o f t he f act that Ekholm has p osited a Quiche-Alta Verapaz a ssociation f or the Lagartero deposit where t he s eated f igure, s imilar to that on Copador, was u sed ( Ekholm 1 977:155).

I t 4 1 1

F ig. 8 . E longated polychrome bowls, Nebaj

F ig. 9 . Z acualpa

E longated ( after Lothrop

Mf

parrot b ands, basal f lange ( after Smith and K idder 1 951).

f igure, 1 936). 5 16

C hama

s tyle

p olychrome,

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery believe t he d istinctive r epresentation o f t he e longated f igure was r evived f rom examples o f e arlier b asal f lange v essels a nd i ncorporated i nto t he d esign c onfiguration o f Copador. A monkey t reated i n t his f ashion i s i llustrated b y L ongyear ( 1952: F ig. 1 4b) on a C opan basal f lange b owl. The wall a rea a vailable f or d ecoration on an open b owl i s t heoretically n ot c onfined l ike t hat on a b asal f lange v essel. H owever, a ssuming that o ne o f t he c anons f or the C opador d ecoration was t o " authenticate" t he p iece w ith a n u pper b and o f g lyphs, the s pace available b elow t he g lyph band would b e l imited. A g ood d ecorative s olution i n t hat c ase was the e longated f orm, p laced head to f eet j ust a s o n t he basal f lange v essels. S imilarly w ith t he r ecurved C opador b owl, i f the upper register c arries g lyphs, the l ower r egister ( limited s patially) most o ften h as t he swimming f igure. I t s hould b e n oted t hat a lmost a ll the r ecurved b owls w ith the s eated f igure i n t he upper r egister u se only s olid p aint below the b reak i n wall d irection. Do t he s eated f igures and the g lyphs p erhaps " signal" the s ame meaning? I t i s possible b ecause t he r ecurved bowls w ith the s eated f igures very r arely h ave g lyphs e lsewhere on t he v essel: never in t he l ower e xterior r egister a nd very i nfrequently on t he interior wall.

C OPADOR D ISTRIBUTION The d istribution o f C opador p ottery c an be u nderstood w ithin t he c ontext o f t he s ite o f Copan i tself. M arcus ( 1976:125) s tates t hat Copan's e arly Late C lassic s telae ( 9.9.0.0.0 - 9 .11.0.0.0) are more c losely r elated t o E arly C lassic s telae o f P eten ( Tikal and U axactun) t han to c oeval monuments f rom t he c entral l owlands. E arly C lassic basal f lange s hapes a nd s lab-footed s upports have b een noted in L ate C lassic contexts i n the L ake Y ojoa a rea o f Honduras b y B audez a nd B ecquelin ( 1973). O ne e xplanation f or t hese observations i s t hat f rontier a reas i n Mesoamerica t end t o c onserve or r evive e arlier s tyles. My r econstruction i s t hat C opador i s a p roduct o f t he manipulation o f a c luster o f c eramic designs r eflecting general e lite M aya c haracteristics, i ncluding an archaizing method o f s howing t he human f igure, i nto a d istinctive product--a c ommodity that with i ts a ttractive c ream body c olor, g littering r ed p aint, a nd b oldly p ainted designs was a s alable n ew product. And what was C opan " selling?" C opan was " selling" a n i dentification w ith l owland Maya culture o r t radition, t he r eligion a nd t he s ocial c lass t hat c ould a chieve impressive bu i ldings, c arved s tone monuments, a nd p redictions o f h eavenly events. P art o f the r ationale f or 5 17

M arilyn P . B eaudry t his r econstruction c omes f rom work t hat has shown that the c ontext o f Copador c onsumption i s n ot e lite. I h ave d iscussed e lsewhere ( Beaudry 1 984, 1 985b) t hat t he a vailability o f Copador Polychrome i s to i nhabitants o f l arge a nd s mall c ommunities n ot o nly i n t he production z one b ut i n a n importing a rea o f western E l S alvador, meaning that i t was not r estricted t o h igh s tatus p eople. I t i s proposed that Copador Polychrome was a means o f b roadly c ommunicating s ocial o r r eligious i dentity, and p erhaps i t e ven s erved a f unction i n h ousehold r itual. I t i s n ot k nown how t he c eramics moved but i t i s c ertain t hat a s ubstantial quantity was exported f rom C opan. I f t he c eramics were part o f an exchange s ystem, t he question r emains, What was C opan r eceiving f or i ts C opador e xports? A f ew t entative s uggestions c an b e o ffered: f rom E l S alvador, c acao, b alsam, indigo; f rom t he middle Motagua, j ade; f rom t he Guatemalan-Honduran border ( Ixtepeque), o bsidian. F inally, a d iscussion o f Late C lassic s outheast Maya p olychrome would not b e c omplete w ithout mentioning a d istinct c ategory o f c eramics f ound i n the s outheast area b ut not p roduced t here, t hat i s, t he broad group o f U lua p olychromes. These materials h ave b een k nown s ince early e xplorations i n northwest a nd c entral H onduras. D ifferent i nvestigators h ave g rouped t hem d ifferently a nd g iven d ifferent n ames to t his c orpus o f c eramics. T he most t horough c lassifications a re t hose o f B audez and B ecquelin a t L os N aranjos ( 1973) where t hey r enamed a s ignificant p art o f t his polychrome group " Babilonia," and o f V iel i n h is d issertation ( 1978), where h e attempted t o define c lasses a nd s ubclasses t hat h ad t emporal and s patial s ignificance. A detailed r eview o f t hese c eramics i s b eyond t he s cope o f t his p aper. I do want to p oint out, h owever, s ome d ifferences i n f ormal qualities ( shapes, p aint, l ayout, a nd motifs) between t he U lua and s outheast Maya p olychromes, a s e xemplified b y C opador, a nd to l ook b riefly a t areal distribution. V essel s hapes d iffer b etween t he s outheast Maya p olychromes a nd t he U lua materials ( Table 6 ). T here i s a much s tronger emphasis on cylindrical f orms and o n f ooted v essels i n t he U lua d ata s et t han i n t he southeast M aya p olychromes. A lso, many U lua p ieces a re c onsiderably b ulkier with t hicker walls t han t he s outheast Maya p ieces. While t he basic p aint p alette i s the s ame i n the t wo p olychrome c ategories, t he U lua c eramics employ m ore v aried t ones o f o range, r ed, a nd b lack. E ither t he p igmenting materials a re m ixed t o p roduce s hades o f b rown, m aroon, a nd g ray, o r d ifferent r aw m aterial s ources a ccount f or t he variability. I n e ither c ase, a v iewer i s s truck b y t he wider r ange o f t ones i n t he U lua materials v is-a-vis t he " standardized" e ffect obtained f rom 5 18

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery

T able 6 . P ercentages o f S hapes C opador/Gualpopa Cream P aste P olychromes P olychromes. U lua ( n=721)

S hapes B owls Open R ecurved O ther

3 4.4%

C ylinders B owl-cylinders C ylinders ( flat b ase) Cylinders ( annular base) C ylinders ( tripod)

2 .5 9 .3 1 .5 1 9.1

P lates T etrapod T ripod

o f Vessels, Versus U lua C opador/ G ualpopa ( n=230)

3 7.0% 3 2.2 5 .7

1 7.4

1 .5 1 .5

J ars

1 9.5

T ripod bowls

3 .5

7 .4

D ishes

0 .9

C ups

3 .5

Note: Approximately s upports o f s ome k ind.

3 0%

o f

the

U lua

polychromes

h ave

C opador. U lua p olychromes a lso u se a white p aint t hat i s f requently p laced over b lack; t his i s not f ound o n C opador. T he manner i n which t he vessel s urfaces were o rganized f or d ecoration i s more varied f or the U lua t han f or t he s outheast M aya types. For example, Viel s eparated the o pen b owl c ategory i nto 1 6 d esign l ayout c ategories. The o ther h igh f requency s hape c ategories h ad s imilarly varied l ayouts: 9 l ayouts on t ripod c ylinders, a nd 6 o n j ars ( Viel 1 978:68-85). V iel c lassified motifs a s p rincipal a nd s econdary t hemes, arriving a t 4 0 p rincipal i conographic themes ( the most numerous c ategory being a nimals) a nd over 6 0 s econdary motifs w ith 4 5 f eatured on e xterior s urfaces a lone. His approach was extremely d etailed and r epresents an e ncyclopedi; a pproach t o d esign. I r ecorded 1 64 i ndividual motifs f or t he s outheast cream paste data s et 5 19

M arilyn P . B eaudry b ut f ound that a bout 1 5 motif c ombinations a ccounted f or most o f t he d ecoration w ithin a s hape f or a t ype. N evertheless, t he p resence o f s o much design variability o n the U lua c eramics i s noteworthy. U lua polychromes s eem t o h ave b een p roduced a ccording t o a d ifferent s et o f r ules than C opador: more vessel f orms, more d ecorative v ariation, a wider r ange o f paint color, and p robably more v aried p aste t ypes, a lthough s ystematic work on t his l ast c haracteristic i s j ust b eginning ( Beaudry 1 985c). The o bserved variability p robably r elates to two c onsiderations: a l onger t ime s pan o f p roduction and d istribution, a nd a wider p roduction z one w ith more p roducing units. T he p roduction z ones have n ot b een precisely d etermined at t his t ime. Through t he t race e lemental work d one o n s outheastern p eriphery p ottery, we k now t hat t he C opan v alley was not producing t his t ype o f polychrome but was importing i t. P reliminary n eutron activation a nalysis h as r esulted i n a s tatistical p robability c lustering o f U lua P olychrome f rom C opan, S anta B arbara, Y arumela, various S ula valley s ites, a nd t he N aco valley ( Bishop and B eaudry n .d.). This g roup o f 8 7 s amples was d istinct f rom a small s et o f domestic wares f rom t he N aco valley a nd S anta B arbara a nd, o f c ourse, d istinct f rom C opan v alley-produced m aterials ( ibid.). F rom a n a nalysis o f t he c ontext o f consumption o f U lua P olychrome i n t he C opan valley, t hese materials d o a ppear t o b e r elated t o h ousehold s tatus in that a rea ( Beaudry 1 985b). T he g eneral o bservation f rom t he S ula v alley, however, i s that t hey a re n ot r estricted to e lite l oci i n t his p art o f H onduras, a ssumed to be o ne o f t he p roduction z ones ( T. Murray, p ersonal communication, 1 985). D istribution o f the U lua P olychrome g roup i s w idespread. T here i s s ome overlap with C opador, i n t hat U lua c eramics a re i mported i nto C opan and t he a rea i ntermediate t o t he two p olychrome p roduction z ones, L a E ntrada ( Nakamura 1 985) a nd S anta B arbara ( Schortman e t a l. 1 986). However, i t extends i nto e astern E l S alvador a s f ar a s the Gulf o f Fonseca ( Fig. 1 0). A s w ith most topics i n M esoamerican a rchaeology, t here a re s till many u nanswered questions a bout L ate C lassic polychromes i n t he s outheast Maya area a nd b eyond i ts f rontiers. We n eed t o know more about the c ultural and e conomic dynamics i n t he a rea where t he two polychrome t raditions overlap i n d istribution. We n eed m ore s pecifics a bout t he p roduction and d istribution o f d ifferent c lasses w ithin t he U lua t radition. We n eed n ew methods f or s tudying the mechanics o f d istribution o f p ainted s erving v essels. A lthough the l ist o f n eeded

5 20

S ou t heast M aya P olychrome P ottery r esearch is l ong, it s ome preliminary distribution, and C lassic ceramics.

Fig.

1 0.

is hoped that this insights into

stylistic

Distribution

area,

paper the

considerations

U lua

polychrome

will provide production, of

these

Late

group.

References BAUDEZ, 1 973

C . F., AND P . BECQUELIN Archeologie de l os Naranjos, Honduras. Etudes Mesoamericaines I I. Mission Archaeologique et EthnolJgique Francaise au Mexique, Mexico D . F.

5 21

M arilyn P . B eaudry BEAUDRY, 1 984

M .P. Ceramic Production and D istribution i n the Southeastern Maya Periphery, Late C lassic Painted Serving Vessels. B . A.R. I nternational S eries 2 03, Oxford.

1 985a

" Red Painted Surfaces on S elected Mesoamerican Ceramics: A Case Study i n the Application o f Materials Analysis to Archaeological Ceramics," ms. on f ile, Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian

Institution,

Washington,

D .C.

1 985b

" Late C lassic Painted Ceramics as I ndicators o f Social C lass," paper presented at the symposium " Organizational complexity in Late C lassic Copan, Part 1 : Household and Social C lass." Society f or American Archaeology, Denver, Colorado.

1 985c

" Production and Distribution, Sula Valley Ceramics," proposal submitted to the Council for I nternational Exchange of Scholars f or t he Fulbright Senior Scholar Award 1 985-86.

B ISHOP, n .d.

R .L., AND M .P. BEAUDRY Chemical Compositional Maya Ceramics," ms. Analytical Laboratory, Washington, D .C.

B ISHOP, SHARER i n press

R .L.,

COGGINS, 1 975

C . " Painting and Drawing Styles at T ikal: An Historical and I conographic Reconstruction," Ph.D. diss., Harvard University.

EKHOLM, 1 977

FRY, 1 979

M .P.

BEAUDRY,

Analysis o f Southeastern on f ile, Conservation Smithsonian Institution,

R . M.

LEVENTHAL,

AND

R .J.

" Compositional Analysis o f Copador and Related Pottery in the Southeast Maya Area," i n Archaeology of the Southeast Maya P eriphery, eds. P . Urban and E . Schortman. ( Austin: University of Texas Press).

S . M. The S ignificance of an Extraordinary Maya Ceremonial Refuse D eposit at L agartero, Chiapas. XLII International Congress of Americanists. Vol. 8 , Cultural Evolution: Maya H ighlands and Lowlands, pp. 1 47-159.

R .E. " The Economics of Pottery at Tikal, Guatemala: ModelF of Exchange f or S erving Vessels," American Antiquity 4 4:494-512.

5 22

S outheast M aya P olychrome P ottery LONGYEAR, 1 952

LOTHROP, 1 936

MARCUS, 1 976

J . M. I II Copan Ceramics: A Pottery, Carnegie Publication no. 5 97

Study o f Southeastern Maya Institution of Washington ( Washington, D .C.).

S . K. Zacualpa: A Study of Ancient Maya Quiche Artifacts, Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication no. 4 72 ( Washington, D .C.). J . Emblem and ( Washington,

NAKAMURA, 1 985

State D .C.:

in the Classic Maya Dumbarton Oaks).

Lowlands

S . "Reconocimiento Arqueologico en e l Valle de La Venta y Valle de F lorida," paper presented at I II S eminario de Arqueologia Hondurena, Tela, Atlantida, Honduras.

S CHORTMAN, E ., P . URBAN, W . ASHMORE, J . WEEKS, J . BENYO, S . SMITH, N . BLACK, S . SPEAKER, AND T . MELCHIONNE 1 986 Santa Barbara Archaeological Project, 1 985 S eason. Ms. archives of the Instituto Hondureno de Antropologia e Historia, Tegucigalpa. SHARER, 1 978

R .J. The Prehistory of Chalchuapa, E l S alvador, Volume 3 , Pottery and Conclusions ( Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania).

SMITH, 1 955

R .E. Ceramic S equence at Uaxactun, Guatemala, Middle American Research Institute Publication 2 0 ( New Orleans: Tulane University).

SMITH, 1 951

R .D., AND A . V. KIDDER Excavations at Nebaj, I nstitution of Washington ( Washington, D . C.).

VIEL, 1 978

1 983

Guatemala, Carnegie Publication no. 5 94

R . " Etude d e l a ceramique U lua-Yojoa Polychrome ( Nord-ouest du Honduras) Essai d'analyse Stylistique du Babilonia," Ph. D. diss., Universite Rene Descartes, Paris. " Evolucion de l a Ceramica en Copan: Resultados Preliminares," in I ntroduccion a l a arqueologia de Copan, Honduras. Tomo I : 4 71-549. Proyecto Arqueologico Copan, Tegucigalpa.

5 23

2 2 L ow land Maya P o t tery P roduc t ion i n t he L a te C lass ic P er iod

P rudence M . R ice

Pottery i n t he Maya area, as i n other archaeological regions, h as b een a n important s ource o f information f or dating s ites a nd r econstructing t heir s ocial, economic, and i ntellectual i nterrelationships. I t i s s urprising, however, t hat d espite decades o f research i nto L ate C lassic Maya . h istory, c omparatively l ittle i s s ecurely known about Maya s ociopolitical o rganization, a nd e ven l ess i s k nown a bout t he r elationship o f that organization to e conomic a ctivity. Two important constructs have b een employed i n discussions o f C lassic period political and e conomic organization. O ne o f t hese i s t he c oncept o f " civicc eremonial c enter." Most o f t he a ttention devoted t o M aya c enters o f v arious s izes h as f ocused on their political roles a s administrative b ases f or the r ulers, who proclaimed t heir g enealogical, a stronomical, military, and other s orts o f a chievements i n i nscriptions and o ther media embellishing p alace a nd t emple s tructures. The economic r ole o f the c enters h as been l argely n eglected, a lthough i t h as b een hypothesized that they p layed a r ole in " economic n etworks that dealt h eavily i n both s ubsistence goods a nd utilitarian c raft products" ( Culbert 1 977:512). L ittle evidence h as been r ecovered at C lassic c enters to s uggest t hat the role they p layed was s trongly d irective, however. S pecifically, the c enters have n o s tructures c learly i dentifiable a s s torehouses or markets ( although t he open p lazas c ould have f unctioned a s s uch [ Coe 1 967:73; F olan et a l. 1 983:49-64; Freidel 1 981:378]); n othing indicates t hat t he writing s ystem was u sed to r ecord transactions, y ields, tribute, e tc.; a nd no workshops h ave b een f ound concentrated i n t he c enters t o i ndicate a dministrative c ontrol or proximity to a market. While n egative evidence provides only weak arguments, the c umulative a bsence o f t hese f eatures may be s ignificant. The l owland Maya e conomy c an be c onsidered i n s ome ( rather 5 25

P rudence M . R ice s tereotyped) r espects to b e more c hiefdom-like than s tatel ike ( Adams 1 977a:159), and i t does n ot s eem to have been p olitically administered to a ny d egree that i s a rchaeologically visible t o date. Another i mportant c oncept i n e fforts to r econstruct C lassic p eriod political and e conomic o rganization i s that o f t he " region." Regions c onsist o f a p rimary c ivicc eremonial center, s everal s ubsidiary a dministrative t iers, and populations d istributed a t t he l evel o f the i ndividual h ousehold ( or more l ikely, extended households, a s i ndicated by L ate C lassic d omestic plazuela p lans). T hey e ncompass t erritories o f approximately 6 000 t o 1 5,000 s q. km i n s ize. I nscriptions o n s telae and other monuments a t major r egional c enters, a s well a s t exts o n p olychrome tomb p ottery ( e.g., Adams 1 977b), s uggest marital a nd m ilitary a lliances b etween them, thus b espeaking s ome d egree o f s upra-regional p olitical i ntegration, but i t i s not k nown to what extent such i ntegration was p aralleled i n t he e conomic r ealm o f p roduction. Within t he r egion, an i mportant f actor underlying e conomic a ctivity a nd o rganization i s environmental v ariability. A lthough e arly theories t ended to emphasize t he " homogeneity" a nd " redundancy" o f t he l owland e nvironment, r ecent s tudies h ave emphasized the e xistence o f r esource d iversity a nd p roductive d ifferentials within t he l owlands, o ccurring e ither c linally o r i n a micromosaic. Thus i n a g eneral way, t he i ndividual r egions would h ave h ad a g reat d eal o f p roductive s imilarity to e ach o ther, and would have been able t o maintain s ome d egree o f e conomic a utonomy o r s elfs ufficiency, at l east i n t he p roduction a nd consumption o f c ertain k inds o f goods ( see B lanton e t a l. 1 981:173-176). The exception t o t his g eneralization i s t he o ccurrence o f h ighly l ocalized o r g eographically r estricted r esources s uch a s g ranite, c oastal p roducts, h igh quality chert, e tc., t he e xploitation a nd e xchange o f which may h ave p layed s ignificant r oles i n t he emergence o f s ocietal c omplexity i n M esoamerica ( Sanders a nd P rice 1 968:1881 89). I n a ny c ase, e nvironmental v ariations on a m icroscale, c ombined w ith t he d emographic and p olitical c haracteristics o f Maya s ociety, may h ave c ombined t o r etard t he d evelopment o f s trong vertical e conomic i ntegration, f ostering i nstead horizontal d ifferentiation on the l ocal and r egional l evels that operated without o verweening p olitical and a dministrative i nterference. O n t he other h and, the s ystems o f a gricultural i ntensification i ncreasingly f ound a ll o ver t he l owlands ( e.g., Adams e t a l. 1 981; T urner 1 978) h ave been t aken t o i ndicate t hat one k ind o f production--i.e., agricultural-was politically r egulated a nd a dministered ( cf. Denevan 5 26

L owland M aya P ottery P roduction 1 982). S uch a dministration would f urther s uggest the l ikelihood o f p roduction o f an agricultural s urplus that would become p art o f a b roader n etwork o f commodity e xchange l inking r egions together.

A PPROACHES

TO THE STUDY OF CLASSIC MAYA POTTERY

PRODUCTION

Occupational s pecialization has o ften been taken a s a g iven i n the Maya a rea on t he b asis of g eneral models c oncerning t he o peration o f l arge and complex s ocieties, a s well a s by t he quantities o f e laborate material goods-b elieved t o i ndicate t he workmanship o f h ighly competent a rtisans--that h ave been r ecovered i n excavations. [ 1] S pecialization i s g enerally t hought to h ave b een an important p art o f t he r egional e conomic s ystem o f t he Maya a s a means o f p roviding goods n ot only f or l ocal d istribution or e xchange, but a lso f or l ong d istance i nteractions. The basis f or this c irculation i s generally held to b e k inship and/or c lass s tanding: " certain goods and s ervices a re g iven t he h eads o f k in groups, who i n turn r edistribute these i tems i n r eturn f or s till o ther goods and s ervices . . . " ( Adams 1 977a:147), " . . . with goods c ontrolled by the upper c lasses exchanged f or s ervices by l ower c lasses" ( Adams 1 977a:155). A lthough o ccupational s pecialization i s widely agreed to h ave e xisted i n t he Maya l owlands ( see Adams 1 970; Becker 1 973, 1 983; Haviland 1 974; Rice 1 981; S hafer and Hester 1 983, 1 986), t he d egree o f s pecialization i s a matter of s ome d ebate. With r espect to c raft production ( as opposed to s pecialized s ervices) i n particular, t here i s l ittle d irect archaeological e vidence f or t he l ocation or d egree o f i ntensiveness o f s uch a ctivity. Aside f rom the massive data on s pecialized l ithic production at Colha, Belize ( Shafer a nd H ester 1 983, 1 986), f ew other crafts h ave p rovided s uch u nequivocal evidence o f i ntensiveness i n manufacture. I n t he c ase o f pottery p roduction, t he a bsence o f k ilns o r c oncentrations o f potters' tools h ave c onsigned most d iscussions o f s pecialized production to t he r ealm o f vagueness a nd i nference. For e xample, specialized manufacture o f polychrome pottery among t he l owland Maya i s s imply a ssumed on the b asis o f t he h igh l evel o f painting s kill i nvolved. E thnographic a nd e thnohistoric data drawn f rom the g reater Maya area have been u sed to t ry to understand t he n ature o f p roduction ( of p ottery or other materials) i n p recolumbian t imes. One u seful model i s borrowed f rom p resent-day p roduction i n the Maya h ighlands o f Guatemala and a djacent Chiapas, where s pecialization i n the manufacture o f a variety o f g oods e xists on a village l evel. That i s, w ithin a p articular r egion one village makes s andals, a nother manufactures b askets, a nother 5 27

P rudence M . R ice p roduces b lankets, another p ottery, and s o on. These s pecializations a re o ften c arried o ut part-time, over and above t he t ime a nd l abor d evoted t o agricultural p ursuits. Furthermore, t here i s a t endency for v illages manufacturing pottery t o s pecialize i n the production o f p articular f orms ( McBryde 1 945; R eina a nd H ill 1 978; Arnold 1 978): one v illage will make bowls, another will make j ars, and another will make comales, f or example. Ethnographic and e thnohistoric d ata r aise t he a dditional possibility o f o ccupational specialization b eing b ased i n l ineages or other kin units. Miles ( 1957:768) d iscussed t he e xistence i n s ixteenth c entury Pokom ( highland Maya) towns o f k in-based wards that a lso h ad a ssociated c raft a ctivities. A s imilar k in-based craft specialization has a lso b een hypothesized t o explain t he spatial a nd t echnological continuity o f l ithic manufacture a t C olha, f rom P reclassic t o Postclassic p eriods ( Shafer and H ester 1 983:539). I t i s possible that i n the c ase o f p roduction o f p ottery, l ithics, and a v ariety o f o ther goods, the r ight to u se the resources o f p roduction were held by k in g roups. Within t he l owlands i tself, t here i s l ittle t o n othing by way o f e thnohistoric d ata on c raft p roduction t o c ontradict o r amplify these observations. One note o n p ottery production c omes f rom B ishop Landa, who c omments t hat i n s ixteenth c entury Yucatan " the trades o f t he I ndians were a s potters a nd c arpenters. They earned a l ot f or making i dols o f c lay and wood with much f asting a nd r itual p ractices" ( in P ina Chan 1 978:42). More i nsight i nto t he nature o f Yucatec Maya o ccupations c omes f rom Lopez d e Cogolludo ( 1974:14-15), a s eventeenth century S panish h istorian: There are many I ndians i n t heir villages, besides t hose who l ive i n t he C ity and i n t he Towns, who a re g reat workers a s smiths, l ocksmiths, bridlemakers, s hoemakers, c arpenters, wood-carvers, s culptors, s addlers, t radesmen who make many c urious t hings o ut o f s hell, b ricklayers, s tonecutters, tailors, painters, a nd s o on. What c auses wonder i s t hat there a re many I ndians who work at f our o r s ix trades where a S paniard would have but one . . • •

This c omment s uggests t hat t he M aya o f Yucatan i n t he Colonial p eriod, a t l east, practiced a n umber o f " trades" o r " occupational s pecializations" s imultaneously, and t hat they were n ot " full-time" s pecialists i n a ny o f them. An additional o bservation c omes f rom F ry ( 1981:149, c iting Carillo y Ancona 1 897), who noted t hat c lays w ere r eportedly traded l ong d istances. 5 28

L owland M aya P ottery P roduction The ethnoarchaeological s tudy o f R .H. Thompson ( 1958:115) among Y ucatan p otters p rovides i nformation on t he recent past t hat may be g eneralizable e ven f arther b ack into prehistory: Both men a nd women m ake pottery at T icul, but only a s pecial group o f men make t he h i"tempered c ooking pots. About a dozen o f t he 6 0odd p otters a t T icul a re o lleros. They do n ot make other k inds o f p ottery . . . S everal L erma potters s ay t hat t heir f athers s pecialized i n the manufacture o f a s ingle s hape much more t han i s d one t oday. S ome o f these o lder p otters were o lleros, o r pot makers, a nd o thers were cantareros a nd t inajeros, o r makers o f watercarrying a nd water-storage j ars. The words f or p otter i n t he e arly dictionaries s uggest t hat s pecialization i n the manufacture o f c ooking p ots or water j ars may b e o f considerable antiquity i n Yucatan.

Other c lues t o t he o rganization o f p ottery p roduction i n t he M aya a rea ( or e lsewhere) h ave b een obtained by c ombining a n umber o f observations on t he pottery i tself ( P. Rice n .d.), i ncluding s tylistic a nalyses, s tandardization o f v essel d imensions, a nd t echnological o r p hysicochemical s tudies. M any a pproaches employ t he d ifferential s patial occurrence o f t he a rtifacts a s a b asis f or i nferences o f economic processes. M ore s pecific s tudies o f production a re n ot y et p ossible b ecause a ctual m anufacturing l oci ( kilns, e tc.) h ave n ot b een l ocated i n the l owlands ( see P . R ice 1 985). This i s o ne o f t he most s erious l imitations i n t he s tudy o f l owland Maya p ottery p roduction, a nd s tands i n s trong c ontrast t o t he s ituation w ith chert t ool p roduction, where workshop l ocations have been c learly i dentified, a s a C olha, f or e xample. Lacking s uch i nformation on production l ocations, the d ata base f or m ost o f what i s known a bout p ottery p roduction i n t he C lassic p eriod i n t he s outhern Maya l owlands h as p roceeded f rom t echnological, and physicochemical s tudies o f pottery, s ometimes by comparing the pottery with c lays l ocally available i n t he r egion o f i nterest. T echnological a nd/or p hysicochemical s tudies h ave been c arried o ut o n u tilitarian pottery o f the C lassic p eriod f rom t hree s ites i n t he c entral/southern Maya l owlands: P alenque, T ikal, a nd L ubaantun. T ikal and P alenque a re t wo o f t he f our L ate C lassic p olitical c apitals o r " super-centers" i dentified by M arcus ( 1976), while Lubaantun i s a small c enter l acking s telae ( Hammond 1 975). A lthough a ll t hree s ites h ad s maller m inor o r " satellite" c enters w ithin t heir domains, t he v ariations i n s ize a nd s tatus among t he t hree may be r esponsible f or s ome d ifferences i n s cale between their e conomies. 5 29

P rudence M . R ice

P alenque T he e arliest a nd most comprehensive o f t hese t echnical s tudies c oncerns pottery production a t P alenque, C hiapas, Mexico. P alenque i s l ocated a t the topographical t ransition a rea where t he Chiapas f oothills meet t he Gulf c oastal p lain i n t he western part o f the Maya l owlands. W ithin t he g eographical boundaries o f t he 3 00 s q. km t erritory d ominated b y P alenque t here i s a considerable d egree o f e cological d iversity i n s oils, g eology, t opography, e levation, a nd v egetation ( savannas a nd h igh f orest) ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:20-21). T he s tudy o f pottery manufacture and e xchange i n the a rea began w ith i dentification o f c lasses of p ottery o n t he b asis o f d ifferent k inds o f i nclusions a nd t he d istribution o f these materials i n the r egion. P etrography a nd n eutron a ctivation analysis o f pottery f rom P alenque a nd s ites w ithin t he region ( Rands 1 967; B ishop 1 975, 1 976, 1 980; Rands a nd B ishop 1 980), a s well a s l ocal c lays, r esulted i n i dentification o f a n umber o f p aste c ompositional g roups. F our o f these were d efined p rincipally by m ica, f eldspar, and p hytolith i nclusions, while others i nclude f ine p aste ( Bishop, H arbottle, and S ayre 1 982); B ishop a nd Rands 1 982) a nd censer wares ( Bishop, R ands, and H arbottle 1 979). A ll t hese h ave d istinct s ubregional d istributions a nd p resumed o rigins o f manufacture. R ands ( 1967) i nitially tested two models o f p ottery d istribution on t he b asis o f these d istinctions i n l ight o f what was known about Maya s ettlement and s ociopolitical r econstructions. O ne o f the two models was " inward-looking," a nd i nterpreted e xchange in t erms o f a c entrist m odel f ocusing on the s ite o f Palenque; t he other was " outward-looking," b ased on e xchange between l ocal c enters w ithin t he r egion. T he r esults o f t hese s tudies have p rovided a g ood d eal o f d ata concerning t he n ature o f s pecialized p roduction a nd exchange o f pottery i n the P alenque region and a t t he c enter i tself. P alenque w as j udged to h ave b een a c enter t o which p ottery f rom d ifferent z ones within i ts r egion w as b rought a nd d istributed. P ottery f rom t he f our m ajor c ompositional g roups a re f ound i n s imilar p roportions a t t he c enter a s i n t he r egion a s a whole ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:27), a lthough t here i s considerable v ariability i n t heir r egion to-region d istribution ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980: F igs. 9 and 1 0). S pecialization apparently existed o n a community o r z onal b asis, a f inding c onsistent with t he contemporary Maya h ighlands. P roduction o f n on-ritual f orms at t he P alenque c enter i tself i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod was r estricted p rincipally t o s erving p lates a nd u tilitarian b owls ( Rands and B ishop 1 980:42). 5 30

L owland M aya P ottery P roduction A lthough a ll f orm c lasses a re r epresented i n each o f t he f our paste groups a t P alenque, t here i s s ome s uggestion o f s pecialization by f orm and f unction: s erving v essels are best r epresented i n t he micaceous and f eldsparc ontaining p ottery believed to have been manufactured i n t he h igher r eaches ( sierras) o f the P alenque r egion, while u tilitarian p ottery i s p rimarily the p hytolith-bearing wares manufactured i n t he c oastal p lain t o t he n orth. W ithin the p lains, t here i s e vidence f or l ocalized s pecialization i n p articular f orms s uch a s f igurines and s erving vessels, a nd t he p lains a rea a s a whole s eems-p erhaps b ecause o f i ts r elative l ack o f advantage f or a griculture--to h ave b een a l ocus o f important c eramic manufacture i n t he L ate C lassic ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:34, 4 2). J ars a re d ifficult t o r elate to c entral o r " macro" P alenque p aste t ypes, a nd t he implication i s that j ars ( or p erhaps c lays f or making j ars) were i mported f rom outside t he s ite p roper t hroughout t he s equence ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:37). The P alenque c enter i mported utilitarian pottery i n l arge quantities, a nd exported l ittle: t he c eramic exports were p rimarily p restige i tems s uch a s censers or c ache v essels, a nd t hese moved only a s hort d istance b eyond t he s ite ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:42). I n s um, t he s ite o f P alenque was primarily a c onsumer o f p ottery r ather than a n exporter, a nd t he d istribution o f p ottery i n t he r egion i s consistent w ith e ither c entral marketing o r a r edistribution s ystem. R ands a nd B ishop ( 1980:43) n oted t hat non-market exchange p rocesses s uch a s t axation, " tribute," o r k in-based r elationships c ould b e r esponsible f or s imilar p atterns o f ceramic d istribution. They declined, h owever, t o t hrow t heir s upport b ehind e ither the " inward" o r " outward" model o f c eramic e xchange. The f ocus on manufacture o f e lite goods i n the c enter has s uggested to t he i nvestigators " . . . a k ind o f s ymbiosis , t hat was c ontrolled a nd manipulated by P alenque [ center], b ased on a n apparent monopoly o f s killed a rtisans, c eremonial p rerogatives, a nd o rganizational r esources f or p roduction and d istribution" ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980:44). H ammond ( 1982:226), i n r eviewing t he P alenque m aterial, c alls attention to the f act t hat t he d istribution o f P alenque's emblem g lyph i s p rimarily a t s ites i n t he p lains, s eeing this, together w ith t he c eramic d ata, a s evidence t hat the a rea " was u nder P alenque's e conomic control." T ikal C eramic p roduction a nd t rade have a lso b een i nvestigated a t T ikal, i n P eten, G uatemala. As a t P alenque, T ikal p ottery p roduction i n the L ate C lassic h as 5 31

P rudence M . R ice b een i nvestigated t hrough t he d istribution o f t echnologically-defined p aste c ategories. A much s maller g eographical a rea o f s ample r ecovery i s i nvolved i n the T ikal s tudy, however. While a t P alenque the c eramic d istributions r eflected a r egion, the T ikal p ottery s amples a re f rom excavations i n s tructures mapped i n a 2 4 km-long north-south s ettlement s urvey t ransect w ith T ikal a s i ts c enter ( Fry 1 980: F ig. 1 ). T he T ikal pottery t hus r epresents d istances o f a maximum o f o nly 1 2 km f rom t hat c enter a nd a " sustaining a rea" o f 1 23 s quare km ( Haviland 1 970:190). The T ikal s tudy hypothesized a l ocus o f p ottery p roduction on the basis o f t he d istribution of muscovite ( cf. F ord a nd G licken, this volume) i n t he p ottery: " Muscovite i s c ommonly f ound i n l ess i ntensively weathered [ soil] d eposits. A l ikely s ource [ of c lays c ontaining muscovite] would be i n t he h igher a reas n earer t he E l P almar r idge northwest o f T ikal" ( Fry 1 980:6). This l ocation i s on the north end o f t he t ransect, approximately 8 km north o f c entral T ikal. T he d istribution o f muscovite-containing p aste i n f our f ormal/functional c lasses o f Lae C lassic pottery a long t he T ikal transect was i nvestigated: s erving v essels, monochrome s lipped b owls a nd b asins, s lipped n arrow mouthed j ars, a nd u nslipped c oarsware wide mouthed j ars ( the l atter t hree being t ermed " utilitarian" p ottery). I nterpretation o f t he p atterns o f p roduction ( and d istribution) was l argely i n t erms o f the s imilarity o f c eramic a ssemblages s caled a gainst d istance ( Fry and Cox 1 974; F ry 1 979), and by t he s hapes o f t he f all-off curves ( Fry 1 980). A s a t P alenque, t here i s e vidence a t T ikal o f s pecialization i n s hape c lasses by paste. T he h ypothesized p roducing c enter n orth o f the c enter, u sing micaceous pastes, was s uggested t o have made a ll t he v essel f orms mentioned above except wide mouthed j ars ( see b elow). The d istribution o f t hese v essels i s, a s m ight b e e xpected, l argely c onfined t o t he northern p art o f the t ransect. I n f act, only s mall amounts o f t his p ottery r eached northern a nd c entral T ikal p roper a t a ll. O f twelve data points f or t his p ottery ( three vessel c ategories, e ach i n two periods i n the L ate C lassic i n two l ocations at t he T ikal c enter), only three p oints r epresent p ercentages o f micaceous p aste greater t han 2 0%. The f all-off c urves a re i rregular i n t he n orthern p art o f t he t ransect, i n g eneral b ottoming out a t o r n ear T ikal, and t hen f lattening a t t he two s ampled l ocations s outh o f t he s ite c enter. Only i n monochrome s lipped wares ( bowls, and p articularly n arrow m outhed j ars) a re t here r elatively s mooth a nd s teep d istribution c urves, s uggesting " that t here were a number o f p roducing c enters i n t he T ikal z one m aking t his s hape c lass, w ith most o f them [ the p roducing l oci] r egarded a s equivalent" ( Fry 5 32

L owland M aya P ottery P roduction 1 980:13). F urther, t here i s b elieved to be a " relatively l ower d emand f or t his c lass o f pottery, c ombined w ith a more r igidly c onstrained demand s tructure" i nvolved i n the p roduction o f both j ars and s erving vessels ( Fry 1 980:13). U nlike t he f iner wares described a bove, l arge w ide m outhed utilitarian j ars were made o f a c oarse u nslipped p aste r ather t han the f iner m icaceous c lay. These vessels were t echnologically very heterogeneous, a nd the d istribution o f d ifferent pastes gave c lear e vidence o f extremely l ocalized p roduction i n the s urvey a rea. T ikal, l ike P alenque, " appears t o have b een a c onsumer r ather t han a r edistributor i n t he p ottery e xchange s ystem" ( Fry 1 980:16, i talics i n o riginal). T ikal a nd i ts p eripheral a rea were s upplied by a number o f l ocations o f p roduction o f e ach c lass o f pottery. F ry s uggests t hat f ive p roduction l oci were s upplying s lipped b owls and t hree p roduced n arrow n ecked j ars; a s imilar number ( 3 to 5 ) p roduced p olychrome vessels, a lthough o nequarter to one-third may h ave been produced outside o f the Tikal region. S imilar n umbers o f production n odes were p robably e ngaged i n making u nslipped utilitarian j ars ( Fry 1 980:16). At T ikal, h owever, t he d istribution o f o nly one p aste was analyzed, s o the r elative proportions o f s everal ware c ategories i n t he a reas o f i nterest a re n ot k nown. As a t P alenque ( Rands a nd B ishop 1 980: F igs. 9 a nd 1 0), t here i s a good d eal o f v ariability i n t he percentages o f t he v essels w ith d istance f rom the s ite c enter ( Fry 1 980: F igs. 2 ,3, a nd 6 ). The c eramic s ystem a t T ikal i n the L ate C lassic was h ighly complex. F ry ( 1980:16) a ttributes t he c omplexity t o a market s ystem, b ut o ne that was " less c entralized" than expected, w ith much o f the e xchange b eing " handled through l ocal d istribution s ystems." H e c oncludes that " even the l argest C lassic Maya s ites, s uch a s T ikal, were apparently n ot t he major n odes o f redistribution o f c raft i tems as many h ad a nticipated" ( Fry 1 980:16). Lubaantun A t hird s tudy o f pottery manufacture and d istribution i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod i s f ocused on L ubaantun, a s mall s ite i n s outhern B elize. Unlike t he two s ites p reviously d iscussed, i t was n ot one o f t he r egional c apitals o f t he l owland Maya, b ut i t was a pparently o f s ufficient s tatus t o h ave a number o f smaller s atellite o r m inor c enters w ithin i ts domain o f 1 600 s q. km. L ike P alenque, t he s ite r egion i ncluded a good d eal o f e cological v ariability, e mbracing t en e nvironmental z ones b etween mountains and t he c oast ( Hammond 1 982:177, F ig. 5 .16). Trace

e lemental

a nalyses 5 33

were

p erformed o n pottery

P rudence M . R ice f rom L ubaantun a nd c ompared ( Hammond e t a l. 1 976). The a nalysis a re i nformative a s p roduction a nd d istribution on that o f t he p revious two s ites.

t o l ocally occurring c lays c onclusions drawn f rom t his t o t he n ature o f p ottery a much d ifferent s cale f rom

Most o f t he c ooking, s torage, a nd s erving v essels a t L ubaantun were made o f l ocal c lays f ound within 6 km o f t he s ite. Polychrome p ottery w as l ocally made, p erhaps " at a workshop within t he c eremonial precinct . . . ( although t he v ery s mall quantity o f s uch f ine pottery r aises t he possibility t hat t he a rtist was a t ravelling s pecialist, p erforming s pecific c ommissions o n l ocally made vases)" ( Hammond 1 982:227). Moldmade f igurines, which a re s een a s e xamples o f M aya f olk a rt, w ere manufactured a t L ubaantun a nd exported t o a n umber o f s ites, i ncluding P usilha ( Hammond 1 982:138). More than 1 00 t ripod p lates were imported t o Lubaantun f rom another s ite, B arton R amie, over 1 00 km t o the n orth and s eparated f rom L ubaantun by a mountain r ange. The r eason f or t he p resence o f t hese v essels i s unknown: " they d id n ot s upply a ny e conomic n eed a t L ubaantun, b ut a re t oo c ommon t o b e h igh-status g ifts" ( Hammond 1 982:228). Very s mall quantities o f pottery f rom o ther d istant s ites were f ound, i ncluding 2 5 s herds o f F ine O range, presumably f rom S eibal 1 50 km to t he west i n P eten, a s well a s an unreported number o f decorated s herds s aid t o c ome f rom P usilha, a s tela-bearing s ite 3 2 km t o • the s outhwest o f Lubaantun ( Hammond 1 982:228). H ammond ( 1982:226) i nterprets t he c eramic d istributional data f rom L ubaantun a s i ndicating a n " inward-looking" model s imilar t o that p ostulated i nitially f or P alenque.

D ISCUSSION What c an b e s aid a bout L ate C lassic u tilitarian pottery p roduction i n t he l owland M aya a rea on t he b asis o f t hese t hree s tudies? F irst, t here i s l ittle t o n othing i n t he d ata, e ither q uantitatively or qualitatively, t o s uggest t hat t he p roducers o f t his p ottery would h ave b een f ull-time s pecialists. I n the c ase o f polychrome v essels, the p ainters a nd t he potters may h ave been two s eparate i ndividuals ( especially i n p roducing the " codex-style" v ases, o r o ther p ots b earing t he e soteric Maya h ieroglyphic writing s ystem ). T he possibility o f t ravelling a rtisans, working on c ommission t o paint l ocally potted vessels i n r elatively r emote a reas, h as n ot be extensively explored, h owever. S econd, p roduction s eems multiple s ubregional a nd l ocal 5 34

t o b e i n t he h ands o f s pecialists whose p roducts

La A l land M aya P ottery P roduction ( at l east within " non-elite" wares) a re f orm c lasses. The d istribution o f t hese p roduction l oci throughout a g iven t erritory i s d ispersed, r ather t han concentrated i n b arrios, paralleling t he d ispersed l owland s ettlement p attern i n g eneral. This l ocation away f rom t he c enters, a nd the l ack o f c apital i nvestment, s uggest t hat p roduction a rrangements were s imilar to t he p resent h ighland M aya p attern o f v illage s pecialization, and t hat p otters c ombined these c raft a ctivities with i nvolvement i n a gricultural p roduction. At both P alenque and T ikal, t he i nvestigations h int a t t he r ole o f environmental d iversity a nd l ack o f good agricultural l and a s an impetus t o c eramic c raft s pecialization ( Fry 1 980:4; Rands and B ishop 1 980:42). Only a r elatively small p roportion o f p ottery r ecovered f rom a g iven r egion w as manufactured o utside t hat region ( although i n t he l atter p art o f t he L ate C lassic p eriod P alenque s eems t o have i mported l arge q uantities o f f ine p aste wares f rom t he n ortheast, i n T abasco). The a real p atterns o f o ccurrence o f p ottery f rom d ifferent l ocations o f manufacture w ithin a r egion c an be explained e ither by market models o r by r edistribution. H owever, the degree o f apparent d ecentralization o f a dministration o f p roduction and d istribution, t ogether w ith t he absence o f a rchaeological e vidence f or m arkets a t t hese c enters, s uggest t hat r edistribution s eems t o b e t he b est hypothesis ( although s everal s tudies [ Hodder 1 974; H odder and O rton 1 976; R enfrew 1 977] s uggest t hat r eciprocity, r edistribution, a nd market exchange c annot be d istinguished by f all-off c urves a lone). Graphs o f f requency o f v essel c lasses a gainst d istance f rom t he c ivic-ceremonial c enters r arely s uggest t rue " supply-zone" b ehavior. This h as been i nferred by F ry ( 1980) t o i ndicate l ack o f c ompeting c enters o f p roduction, b ut i t c ould a lso be a r eflection o f t he l ack o f centralized c ontrol o f p roduction. S imilarly, t he m ultimodality o f these g raphs--and p articularly t he d ifferences i n o ccurrence o f micaceous wares i n c omparing n orth T ikal w ith c entral T ikal--would t end t o s uggest that o ther " non-economic" a nd unmeasured f actors a re operating t o control t he c irculation o f t hese w ares. One s uch f actor i s o f c ourse k inship; F ry's s tudy c ontrolled f or s tatus d ifferences. I t i s i nteresting t hat d ichotomous p atterns o f d istribution o f d ifferent k inds o f g oods h ave b een noted i n C olha c herts; t hey a re d escribed a s " secular" v ersus " non-secular" goods, and e ach c irculates i n different p atterns ( Shafer 1 982). With r egard to p ottery, t he C lassic c ivic-ceremonial c enters s eem t o have b een c onsumers r ather than p roducers o f goods. T hey t hemselves p roduced a nd d istributed only s mall quantities o f p ottery a nd t hat--if P alenque a nd 5 35

P rudence M . R ice L ubaantun a re a ccurate i ndicators--was p rincipally " nonu tilitarian" o r " elite' ( censers, c ache v essels, polychromes, f igurines). T hese i tems may h ave b een p roduced u nder d irect e lite administration, commission, o r p atronage. I n l ight o f t he h ypothesis ( Culbert 1 977:512) c oncerning the participation o f C lassic c enters i n e conomic a ctivities i nvolving s ubsistence a nd/or u tilitarian g oods, s uch a ctivities will need t o b e i nvestigated i n t he f uture by means o f n ew t echniques and models. I t i s a lso worth n oting t hat a lthough t he e xtrac enter l ocations o f utilitarian a nd s erving ware p ottery p roduction a ctivities s eem t o h ave r emained characteristic o f t he L ate C lassic p eriod, c hanges a re evident i n p roduction o rganization ( P. R ice 1 986). Specifically, v ariability o f t echnological a nd s tylistic attributes o f p ottery a t b oth T ikal a nd P alenque i ncreased f rom the e arly t o l ate L ate C lassic p eriods ( Fry 1 979:505-506, 5 09, e sp. F igs. 3 a nd 4 ; R ands a nd B ishop 1 980: F igs. 1 2-16). I n addition, polychrome s tyles b ecome increasingly l ocalized during t hese s ame periods. S imilar c hanges i n pottery v ariability e lsewhere i n Mesoamerica ( i.e., O axaca) have b een l inked with h eightened c ompetition b etween p roducers, and d ecreased a dministrative c ontrol o f c eramic p roduction ( Feinman et a l. 1 985). I n t he Maya a rea, however, i t i s more l ikely t hat t he c hanges c an b e explained by i ncreasing numbers o f p eople moving i nto u tilitarian ( including s erving ware) c eramic manufacture i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod. The g reater n umbers o f p roducers i n T epeu 2 t imes would c ontribute t o i ncreased v ariability o f the p roducts ( see a lso P . R ice 1 981:226), and t he marked r egionalization o f p ottery s tyles a nd c ompositions i n t he l ate L ate C lassic. T he evidence r eviewed a bove s uggests that p ottery p roduction n ever was a t ightly c ontrolled f ull-time s pecialization i n the s outhern Maya l owlands; t hus t here was p robably a c ertain f luidity o f membership in producing g roups over t ime. G iven t he p robable s ocial a nd e conomic ( especially a gricultural) i nsecurities o f t he L ate C lassic period i n t he s outhern l owlands, i t may b e s uggested t hat by a dopting p ottery manufacture a s a l ivelihood, people were e xercising o ne option f or c oping w ith s uch i nsecurity: p roductive d iversification. D uring t hese t imes, m anufacture o f l ow v alue/high consumption g oods ( such a s u tilitarian p ottery v essels) would b e a n attractive s upplementary e conomic a ctivity: the n eed f or these g oods would b e r elatively c ontinuous ( in c ontrast t o f luctuating e lite d emand f or p olychromes). F urthermore, p ottery making m ight h ave been e specially a dvantageous in h eavily s ettled a reas s uffering s ome d egradation i n a gricultural p roductivity a s a r esult o f a h istory o f over-farming. 5 36

L owlan i M aya P ottery P roduction W ith r espect to t he question o f occupational s pecialization i n t he Maya a rea, i t i s worthwhile to examine t he whole c oncept o f s pecialization more c arefully. One e ffort a t s uch a n e xercise i s that o f Muller ( 1984), who h as d rawn a d istinction b etween " site" a nd " producer" s pecialization. S ite s pecialization r efers t o a narrow r ange o f p roductive a ctivities c arried o ut a t a p articular l ocation, a nd i s f requently a c onsequence o f the v ery r estricted s patial d istribution o f c ertain k inds o f r esources. The s pecialization o f c hert tool manufacture a t C olha i s an e xample o f s ite s pecialization. P roducer s pecialization, o n t he o ther h and, i s a t erm u sed by Muller to r efer t o t he c oncentration o f t ime a nd e ffort o n a p articular p roductive a ctivity i n o rder t o e arn a l iving, a nd i s f requently described by the degree o f l abor i ntensification a s b eing e ither p art-time o r f ull-time. " Producer s pecialization" i n t his u sage i s r eally a m isnomer, f or i t would b e good t o observe a d istinction b etween s pecialization i n a r esource o r p roduct a s opposed t o i ntensification o f l abor o r c apital ( see P . R ice n .d.). P roducer s pecialization, a s Muller r efers to i t, i s r eally a n e xample o f p roductive i ntensification, a p rocess a ssociated w ith s ocioeconomic d ifferentiation and c omplexity. Thus t here a re a t l east t hree a spects o f the i ssue o f s pecialization t hat m ight b e c onsidered with r espect to M aya pottery p roduction: s ite s pecialization ( identifying l ocations o f c oncentrated production, perhaps in a ssociation with u nusual c lay r esources), product s pecialization ( manufacture o f a l imited r ange o f p roducts i n a particular p roduction l ocus, r egardless o f whether or n ot that l ocus c an b e d escribed a s " specialized"), and i ntensification ( of l abor a nd c apital i n t he p roductive e nterprise). S ite s pecialization, p roduct s pecialization, a nd producer s pecialization ( intensification) may or may n ot co-occur. F urthermore, because s ite s pecialization i s s o c losely correlated with very l ocalized r esources, the c ausal mechanisms ( such a s p oor a gricultural s oils) h ypothesized t o e xplain i n p art t he e xistence o f o ne k ind o f s pecialization ( e.g., l ocations o f pottery p roduction) c annot n ecessarily be a ssumed t o explain equally well the e xistence o f a nother ( site s pecialization o f c hert tools; s ee Shafer a nd H ester 1 986:163). I n t he M aya l owlands, the evidence t o date s uggests t hat non-elite a nd non-"attached" ( sensu E arl 1 981:230) c raft p roduction a ctivities took p lace o utside the l arge c enters. By a nalogy with t he modern h ighlands, p roduction o f pottery was p robably a community-based activity f ocused o n the c reation o f p articular f orms. Furthermore, a nalogies with both h ighlands and s ixteenth c entury Y ucatan, a s w ell a s t he a bsence o f c apital i nvestment i n t he enterprise ( kilns, workshops, e tc.), s uggest t hat p ottery making was a p art-time r ather t han f ull-time a ctivity. 5 37

P rudence M . R ice I n other words, Maya utilitarian and s erving ware pottery production s eems to have b een a l argely r ural a nd non-intensified activity, exhibiting " specialization" only i n the s ense o f p articular products ( especially forms) b eing produced a t particular l ocations. I t i s not y et known to what extent this specialization i n f orms may r epresent s ite specialization, that is, b eing a c onsequence o f p roperties o f l ocally available c lay o r tempering resources, s uch a s s trength, thermal characteristics, e tc. These observations are admittedly based on a considerable degree o f n egative evidence, b ut t hey s ummarize the existing s tate o f knowledge o f l owland Maya p ottery production i n the L ate C lassic p eriod, and h int at the areas where f urther work needs to be d one.

Notes [ 1.] Occupational s pecialties among the C lassic M aya a re l ikely to have i ncluded t he production of goods a s well a s the execution o f a variety o f s ervices. Among these specialties we might i nclude the f ollowing ( see Adams 1 970; Becker 1 973;403): p roduction o f p ottery, s tone ( flint and obsidian) tool-making, l eather-working, weaving c loth, working wood, s hell, and bone, basketry, c ostuming, mask-making, f eather-working, j ade-working, c urers, d entists, bearers, water-carriers, s culptors, m asons, s cribes, architectural p lanners, a stronomers, t raders, musicians, s ervants, s tucco-workers, e ntertainers, beekeepers, butchers, a ccountants, hunters and/or f ishermen, p ainters.

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2 3 Maya P o t tery A f ter 2 0 Y ears : A rchaeo log ica l I mp l ica t ions

D ean E . A rnold

Part o f t he t ask o f every a rchaeologist i s t o u nderstand the r elationship o f material c ulture t o s ociety. F or t he s tudent o f c eramics, the t raditional way t o accomplish this t ask i s t hrough f ormulating c hronologies by o rdering c eramic s imilarities and d ifferences t hrough s pace a nd t ime. C ontinuities a nd c hanges i n t he c hronologies a llegedly r epresent t he c ontinuities a nd c hanges o f populations o r the i nfluences o f one s ociety o ver a nother t hrough d iffusion, m igration, o r c onquest. Another r esearch s trategy f or b uilding a t heory r elating c eramics t o s ociety i nvolves ethnoarchaeology. O ne e thnoarchaeological a pproach c onsists o f a c omparative, c ross-cultural methodology t o i dentify u niversal c ultural p rocesses b ased on t he c hemical a nd p hysical characteristics o f t he c eramics t hemselves. T hese p rocesses i nclude f eedback mechanisms l ike d istance t o r esources, t he e ffect o f weather a nd c limate, d egree o f s edentariness, d emand, a nd man/land r elationships, which e ither s timulate o r prevent t he original d evelopment o f p ottery p roduction a nd i ts evolution i nto a f ull-time c raft. S uch p rocesses o perate i n t he p resent a nd i n t he p ast i ndependently o f c ulture-historical f orces. This a pproach was e laborated i n Ceramic Theory a nd C ultural P rocess ( Arnold 1 985) a nd i s c lose to what H odder ( 1982) c alled a " relational a nalogy." Other p rocesses l ike those r esponsible f or c hanges i n t he organization o f ancient c eramic production m ay a lso h ave c orrelates i n t he p resent. While t he s pecific c onditions that l ed t o c eramic c hanges i n t he p ast a re d ifferent f rom t hose o f t he p resent, t he u nderlying c ultural p rocesses ( like t hose r esponsible f or t he m ovement f rom a household-based c raft to a workshop-based c raft) may b e s imilar. I t i s i ronic, f or e xample, t hat 5 45

D ean E . A rnold a nthropologists d ecry t he r eplacement o f t raditional p ottery by t ourist p ottery while the c ausal processes o f t his p henomenon may be p arallel t o, r ather than d ivergent f rom, t he evolution o f a ncient c eramic p roduction. T ourist pottery may be r epulsive t o t he a rchaeologist, b ut t he f orces that l ed to i ts development may have p rocessual analogues i n t he development o f f ancy r itual ware in t he p ast. One ethnographic a pproach t hat c an help u ncover c ultural processes underlying c eramic change through t ime i s known i n c ultural a nthropology a s t he " community r estudy" or s imply the " restudy method" in w hich t he e thnographer r eturns t o a c ommunity h e or s he h as s tudied i n t he past to r ecord t he c hanges that occurred s ince t he l ast visit. This t echnique was p ioneered b y R obert R edfield ( 1950; R edfield and V illa Rojas 1 934), Oscar L ewis ( 1943, 1 963), and Margaret M ead a nd i s used b y many c ultural anthropologists. I t h as b een underexploited i n e thnoarchaeology, b ut has b een u sed b y a n umber o f e thnographers ( both a rchaeologists a nd c ultural a nthropologists) to s tudy c ontemporary c ommunities o f p otters. Reina and H ill ( 1978) described some o f the c hanges that have o ccurred i n the c ommunity o f C hinautla, G uatemala, s ince Reina o riginally s tudied it i n the 1 950s. Lackey ( 1982) r eturned t o the M exican p ottery making v illage o f Acatlan that G eorge F oster s tudied i n 1 952 ( Foster 1 960). S imilarly, Charlton and Katz ( 1979) d escribed pottery i n Tonala--a c ommunity that M ay D iaz ( 1966) s tudied i n t he e arly 1 960s. P apousek ( 1981) r evisited pottery making c ommunities i n t he municipio o f T emascalcingo i n t he s tate o f Mexico that he had s tudied i n 1 967 ( 1974). This paper i s a b rief s ummary o f s ome preliminary r esults o f a r estudy o f potters i n T icul, Yucatan. My o riginal r esearch i n T icul dates t o 1 965 when I s pent s ix months s tudying the e thnotechnology o f pottery production ( Arnold 1 967, 1 971). I r eturned t o T icul s ix times i n the n ext f ive y ears w ith my l ast v isit i n 1 970 ( Arnold and B ohor 1 975, 1 976, 1 977). I n 1 984 I r eturned to T icul f or s ix months to s ee what h ad happened t o pottery p roduction t here i n the twenty y ears s ince my f irst visit. P ottery production i n T icul h as been s tudied i n one w ay o r a nother over a p eriod o f 4 0 y ears. I n addition to my own r esearch there, R endon ( 1947), B arrera V asquez ( 1937), B rainerd ( 1954), Thompson ( 1958), and Hurd ( 1976) have a ll described a spects o f T icul c eramic production i n v arying amounts o f d etail. T icul t hus provides a u nique o pportunity f or s tudying t he p rocesses that a ffect c eramic c hange over a period o f 4 0 years.

t o

One o f d escribe

the p rimary g oals o f my r esearch in 1 984 was t horoughly the c ommunity o f potters i n T icul. 5 46

M aya P ottery A fter 2 0 Y ears Because I h ad mapped t he h ouse l ocations o f potters i n 1 966 a nd a ssembled g enealogical d ata o f many o f t he p otters i n 1 968 a nd 1 970, I wanted to s ee i f t he p opulation o f p otters h ad c hanged and what c hanges i n c eramic technology, i f a ny, c ould b e matched against c hanges i n the pottery making p opulation. . This s ummary o f t he p reliminary r esults o f my r esearch i s o rganized i nto s everal p arts. F irst I b riefly describe t he c eramic c hanges o r l ack t hereof i n t he l ast 2 0 y ears. Then I a ssess t he r elationship o f t hese changes t o the p opulation o f potters i n T icul. D ocumenting change i s important i n i tself i n r elating t he c eramics t o t he i ntangible s ocial patterns i n t he s ociety, b ut i t i s o nly t he f irst s tep i n i dentifying t he u nderlying p rocesses r esponsible f or that change. T hese p rocesses p rovide more potential f or g eneralization t han a d escription o f t he c hanges t hemselves. F inally, I comment o n h ow these data r elate t o a rchaeology.

C ERAMIC C HANGES

I N T ICUL

My d iscussion o f t he c hanges o f T icul c eramics i s o rganized a ccording t o t he p roduction s equence. F irst I b riefly d escribe t he s imilarities and d ifferences i n r aw materials, f orming t echniques, vessel s hapes, a nd d ecoration between 1 965 a nd 1 984. T icul p otters u se the s ame s ources f or c lay a nd t empering materials i n 1 984 t hat they u sed f rom 1 965 to 1 970. P otters s till o btain t heir c lay f rom t he mine i n H acienda Y o" K "at s even km away and obtain their t emper f rom the t emper m ines ( Yo" S ah Kab) l ocated f our km away o n t he r oad t o C hapab ( Arnold 1 971). B oth r aw materials appear to be i dentical t o t hose u sed twenty y ears ago. The m ain c hanges i n r aw materials s ince 1 965 h ave b een i n t heir p rocurement. While Thompson ( 1958:66) r eported t hat i n t he 1 950s potters themselves went t o t he s ources t o obtain c lay a nd t emper, r aw material s pecialists began t o e volve i n t he l ate 1 960s. M ost s pecialists were a lso p otters o r were t ied to t he p ottery making c ommunity t hrough marriage o r r esidence. A ll r aw material s pecialists were p art-time i n 1 965 e xcept t he h usband o f o ne p otter who m ined t emper f ull-time. I n 1 984, however, t here were a pproximately s ix f ull-time s pecialists who d id n othing b ut mine and p repare t emper a nd c lay. When I d iscovered t he e xistence o f f ull-time r aw material s pecialists i n T icul I wanted to l earn a bout the f actors t hat l ed t o t he emergence o f these s pecialists. Why do potters r ely on s pecialists t o obtain their r aw materials r ather t han g o to the s ources themselves t o mine 5 47

D ean E . A rnold t heir r aw materials? O ne p otter r esponded t hat s pecialists h ad d eveloped t he motor s kills n ecessary t o m ine c lay r apidly and e fficiently. I f t he p otter were t o m ine h is own c lay, i t would t ake h im a l onger p eriod o f t ime than the s pecialists t o obtain an equal amount o f c lay. There a re, h owever, s everal o ther r easons f or t he development o f r aw material s pecialists i n T icul. F irst, t he n umber o f f ull-time potters s ince 1 965 have i ncreased f rom a bout 3 0 to 1 75. The volume o f c lay a nd t emper r equired b y potters a nd t he d istance o f these s ources f rom T icul n ecessitate a m eans o f t ransport t o t he p otters h ouses. I t i s s imply not possible t o move t he volume o f r aw materials n eeded i n Ticul without s ome c apital-intensive f orm o f t ransportation. S pecialists must t hus c ontract with an owner o f a horse-drawn c art o r t ruck t o do s o. S econd, the ownership o f t he r aw m aterial s ources i s a lso a f actor. While t he t emper m ines a re p art o f t he e jido o f T icul a nd c an b e utilized by anyone, t he c lay m ine i s p rivately owned b y a l ocal entrepreneur. F urthermore, t he owner o f t he c lay mine c harges a f ee f or e ach b ag o f c lay m ined a nd r equires t hat miners u se h is t ruck ( for a f ee f or e ach b ag o f c lay) to t ransport i t t o T icul. The t ruck w ill only make a d elivery i f t here i s a f ull l oad--usually a bout 6 0-80 bags. H aving f ewer p ersons d ealing with t he o wner on a more r egular b asis i s more e fficient t han a n i ndividual potter h aving t o obtain p ermission t o m ine c lay each t ime h e n eeds i t, t o p ay t he r equired f ee, and t o a rrange t ransport o f the c lay t o T icul. I t i s t hus more t ime-consuming and i nconvenient f or i ndividual potters t o go to t he c lay s ource t o m ine t heir c lay. I t i s more e fficient f or them to spend t heir t ime making p ots. Even t hough t here has b een s ome change i n t he d evice u sed t o f abricate p ottery, t he f orming t echniques u sed i n 1 984 w ere e ssentially t he s ame a s i n the l ate 1 960s w ith the c ontinued u se o f a t urntable a nd two-piece m olds. T raditionally, T icul p otters made p ottery w ith t he k abal ( Fig. 1 ), a turntable device p ropelled by t he hands o r by a c ombination o f t he hands and f eet ( see Thompson 1 958:768 1, F ig. 2 3g i, F ig. 2 5a-c). I n t he l ate 1 940s, a g overnment p roject t ried t o i ntroduce two additional f orming t echnologies i nto T icul: t wo-piece molds a nd a p otter's wheel which u sed c entrifugal f orce t o f orm p ottery. O f t hese, o nly t he molds w ere a ccepted. T hompson mentioned t heir u se i n 1 950-1 ( Thompson 1 958:20), a nd a lluded to t heir p resence i n an i llustration ( Thompson 1 958:138-39). Molds were p resent i n 1 965-70 and r epresented a v ery i mportant v essel f orming technique i n 1 984. P robably t he main r eason f or t he a cceptance o f m olds i s t hat t hey r equire v ery l ittle s kill to p roduce p ottery. They a lso r equire minimum c apital investment. T his a dvantage i s v ery important b ecause most potters i n T icul a re p oor a nd h ave l ittle c ash t o s pend to i ntensify 5 48

M aya P ottery A fter 2 0 Y ears

F ig. 1 . A T icul p otter u sing the kabal to make a small p ot. The k abal i s the t raditional device u sed f or making p ottery i n T icul and may s ometimes require the u se o f the f eet r ather than j ust the hands ( see Thompson 1 958:76-81, F ig. 2 2-24). Apart f rom two-piece molds, this device was u sed to make p ottery i n 1 950-1 ( Thompson 1 958:76-81, F ig. 2 2-24) and 1 965-70, but had l argely been r eplaced by the ball bearing turntable ( Fig. 2 and F ig. 3 ) i n 1 984.

5 49

D ean E . A rnold t heir c raft. Molds a lso h ave a great advantage i n a dapting e asily t o c hanges i n v essel s hape. A lthough t here i s a l imitation to t he s ize o f vessels that c an b e made u sing m olds w ith T icul c lay, most vessels a nd f igurines 2 5 cm h igh o r l ess c an be e asily c opied b y making a mold and t hen p roducing t he products i n q uantity w ith l ittle variation i n quality. The most i nteresting c hange t hat occurred i n f orming t echnology was t he a cceptance o f the ball-bearing t urntable ( which p otters c all e ither torneta o r t ornete) b y a pproximately 7 5% o f the p otters o f T icul ( Figs. 2 a nd 3 ). While t his device l ooks l ike t he p otter's wheel, t he v essels a re not p roduced u sing c entrifugal f orce. R ather, the ball-bearing d evice i s u sed l ike the kabal. P otters s ay t hat t he main a dvantage o f t he b all-bearing t urntable i s t hat i t i s e asier t han t he kabal t o turn with t he f orce o f t he h ands when t hey a re f orming t he vessels a nd t hus i t does not require t he u se o f t he f eet ( Fig. 1 ). Vessel s hapes i n T icul h ave c hanged d ramatically i n t he l ast twenty y ears. I n 1 965, potters p roduced two c lasses o f v essels. F irst and f oremost, t hey made t raditional u tilitarian v essels f or l ocal u se a nd c onsumption. The p redominant s hapes i n t his c lass o f v essels were t he water c arrying j ar ( cantaro; T hompson 1 958:123-129), the water s torage j ar ( tinaja; T hompson 1 958:120-123), a nd a vessel f or s oaking maize and s toring water ( apaste; Thompson 1 958:116, 1 17-19). A s econd c lass o f v essels were hollow f igurines u sed a s b anks f or s aving c oins. Both c lasses o f vessels were s old by the p otters t hemselves i n t he markets a nd f iestas t hroughout t he northern Yucatan p eninsula. I n 1 984, h owever, t he k inds o f v essels p roduced c hanged r adically f rom t hose made twenty y ears e arlier. F irst, t he p roduction o f p ots f or c arrying and s toring water h ad a lmost c ompletely s topped w ith t he advent o f a p iped water s upply i n a lmost every c ommunity in t he s tate o f Yucatan. Two p otters s till made these v essels f or a s mall c lientele i n t he more r emote a reas o f the p eninsula ( such a s the P uuc r egion a nd i solated r anchos n ear Valladolid). S econd, p otters p roduced both n ew a nd t raditional s hapes a s d ecorative f lower p ots f or t he h omes, g ardens, and p atios i n t he northern Y ucatan p eninsula. Tourist h otels i n Merida a nd Cancun o ften p urchased t hese pots t o p lace i n t heir l obbies and h allways. A t hird c lass o f v essels w as p roduced exclusively f or t ourists a nd s old i n the s hops i n M erida a nd C ancun. T ourist p ottery a lmost a lways i s small e nough t o c arry i n a s uitcase o r c arry-on l uggage a nd c an b e g rouped i nto t hree t ypes. O ne type c onsists o f copies o f a rchaeological f igurines f rom a v ariety o f M exican c ultures ( e.g. Teotihuacan, O lmec, Maya) f rom t he F ormative t hrough t he P ostclassic p eriods. A second type 5 50

M aya P ottery A lter 2 0 Y ears

F ig. 2 . The t urntable d evice ( which p otters c all t he t ornete or torneta) u sed f or making p ottery i n T icul i n 1 984. This device i s made o f metal with a ball bearing on top o f t he metal post. A p ipe o f s lightly l arger d iameter welded t o a c ircular metal p latform i s p laced over the ball bearing on t he metal p ost. A d rop o r two o f o il keeps t he device turning s moothly and e asily. This i nnovation i s u sed in t he s ame way a s t he t raditional kabal, but i t i s easier t o turn because o f the b all bearing. F urthermore, p otters do not h ave to u se their f eet to turn i t when their h ands a re o ccupied. 5 51

D ean E . A rnold

F ig. 3 . A T icul potter u sing a turntable to make a tourist curio. A ll t urntables o f the n ew f orm are a t l east p artially metal a nd have a ball bearing movement, but t he p recise f orm o f the turntable varies greatly f rom h ousehold to h ousehold. I n t his c ase, the turntable i s n ot detachable ( compare with F ig. 2 ) a nd i s anchored i n a g allon c an f illed with c ement.

5 52

M aya P ottery A fter 2 0 Y ears consists o f archaeological, traditional, and modern s hapes painted with e laborate p olychrome designs reminiscent o f C lassic Maya v essels. A third type c onsists o f miscellaneous s hapes and f igurines. Great changes have a lso o ccurred in decoration. Between 1 965 a nd 1 970, the predominant type o f decoration was t he t raditional buff o r r ed s lip a pplied b efore f iring. On r are o ccasions, t his s lip was z oned or was u sed with a negative design. S ome p lastic d ecoration was u sed on r ims a nd hand-modeled applique s trips and r elief f igures occasionally occurred o n t he body of vessels. Potters a lso u sed multi-colored o il-based p aints during this time to decorate coin b anks. B y 1 984, d ecoration h ad changed r adically. Traditional p re-firing r ed and buff s lips and l imited p lastic decoration was u sed only on f lower p ots. A b lack ware a lso appeared. T he r emaining kinds o f d ecorative t echniques u sed i n 1 984 were postf iring a nd consisted o f multi-color paints ( oil-base and water-base) utilized i n s everal ways: s cenes i nspired by C lassic Maya p olychrome vessels, f loral designs on f lower p ots, coin b anks, a nd f igurines.

CERAMIC CHANGE AND

THE COMMUNITY OF POTTERS

How a re t hese c hanges r elated to t he c ommunity o f p otters i n T icul? What a spects o f T icul s ociety are r eflected i n t he c hanges i n c eramics i n t he l ast 2 0 y ears? The c omposition o f t he population o f potters in T icul h as changed very l ittle s ince 1 965. T he p otters who made pottery i n t he l ate 1 960s s till m ade pottery i n 1 984. Roughly 9 5% o f the a ctive potters i n 1 984 b elong ( by descent o r marriage) t o the s ame f amilies who were p otters i n 1 965. Most potters came f rom the s ame f our e xtended f amilies o f p otters and 8 1% h ave l earned the c raft f rom t heir mother, f ather, wife o r h usband. R esidence patterns a re a lso t he s ame; potters i dentified i n 1 966 and s till l iving i n t he c ommunity i n 1 984 g enerally l ived i n the s ame h ouseholds a nd were c oncentrated i n the s ame n ine s quare b lock area a s t hey w ere in 1 965-70. In 1 984, h owever, a n ew k ind o f p otter, t he s pecialist p otter, was emerging i n T icul. This type o f p otter d id not c ome f rom the traditional pottery making f amilies and d id n ot l earn the craft f rom r elatives. I n most c ases, specialist potters begin l earning the c raft a s t eenage apprentices i n c ommercial workshops o utside the h ousehold. I n a f ew c ases, however, t hese potters are h ousewives who b uy c lay a nd t emper, make a f ew s imple pots a t home, and s ell t hem unfired to a workshop o r another p otter. I n a ll c ases, s pecialist potters k now very l ittle o f the totality o f t he t raditional p ottery making p rocess. They e ither p roduce p ottery f or which l ittle 5 53

D ean E . A rnold knowledge i s n ecessary ( like mold-made o bjects) o r t hey s pecialize i n a r estricted t ask l ike painting o r f abrication o f a p articular s hape w ith l ittle knowledge o f t he total p roduction p rocess. T he main c hange i n t he p opulation o f potters i n t he l ast twenty y ears i s an i ncrease i n the n umber o f p otters. According t o my s urvey i n 1 984, there a re 1 75 a ctive p otters i n T icul c ompared w ith a r ather l iberal e stimate o f 3 0 i n 1 966. G reat t echnological changes h ave o ccurred i n T icul i n t he l ast 2 0 y ears ( compare F ig. 4 w ith F ig. 5 ). A lmost a ll potters own a t elevision a nd many h ave p iped w ater a nd n on-traditional household f urniture ( Fig. 6 ). A f ew l ive i n non-traditional houses and two own t rucks. B esides t he great t echnological c hanges occurring i n T icul a nd t he i ncrease i n t he number o f p otters, t o what s ocial p henomena do t he c eramic c hanges c orrespond? F irst a nd f oremost, they c orrespond t o a c hange i n t he o rganization o f p ottery making i n t he c ommunity f rom p roduction w ithin t he h ousehold to p roduction in workshops o utside t he h ousehold. Workshops o utside the h ousehold b egan w ith t he a vailability o f c apital. A lthough only t hree potters a ctually owned a workshop i n 1 984, most o f t he workshops w ere owned by non-potters who had a ccess t o c apital--either t heir own, g overnment c apital, o r bank c redit. Workshops n eeded c apital f or three reasons: 1 ) t o pay workers on a r egular basis, 2 ) to c onstruct, buy, o r r ent f acilities t o f abricate, d ry, a nd s tore u nfired p ottery ( in o rder t o mitigate t he r egulatory e ffect o f r ainy weather [ See A rnold, 1 985]), a nd 3 ) t o have a ccess t o a motor vehicle to t ransport q uantities o f pottery t o d istant markets. S econd, t his mode o f p roduction h as b rought w ith i t i ncreased s pecialization. A s r ecently a s t he l ate 1 960s, p otters p erformed a ll o f the t asks o f pottery p roduction and d istribution except obtaining r aw materials. I n 1 984, p otters h ad decreased t he n umber o f t heir t asks, w ith some p otters only f abricating t he p ottery, but r elegating the r oles o f p rocuring r aw materials, f iring, d ecorating, and marketing t o s pecialists. The greatest s egmentation o f p roduction t asks occurs i n workshops outside t he h ousehold, b ut e ven many household p otters r elegate a ll t asks o f t he c raft t o s pecialists e xcept f abrication and f iring. T he d evelopment o f s pecialists i s t hus most c learly r eflected i n t he c eramics t hemselves i n the p roliferation o f p ainted p ottery. Most painted pottery i s p roduced by workshop s pecialists. T hird, t he c hanges i n s hape a nd d ecoration a re the r esponses t o a c hanging market where t raditional u ses have d isappeared a nd n ew u ses h ave emerged. I n contrast to 5 54

M aya P ottery A fter 2 0 Y ears

F ig. 4 . View o f a T icul s treet i n 1 965 s howing a potter's h ouse i n t he c enter. I n 1 965, pottery was t ransported to t he train or b us s tation u sing a horse drawn cart a nd t hen t aken by t he p otters t hemselves to s ell i n various p arts o f the p eninsula ( Reprinted f rom Arnold, 1 985).

Dean E .

Arnold

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D ean E . A rnold p ottery d istribution 2 0 y ear ago, potters i n 1 984 c an n o l onger d irectly p articipate i n s elling t heir wares to c onsumers. They h ave t o r ely on m iddlemen-specialists who h ave t he c ontact, c lients, and t ransportation ( like p ickup t rucks) to d istribute a nd s ell t heir pottery. What i s the s ource o f the c hanges i n T icul p ottery i n the l ast 2 0 years? I t i s c lear t hat t he changes i n the c eramics have c ome f rom o utside t he c ommunity. I n a rchaeological t erminology, o ne c ould s ay t hat t hese c hanges a re t he r esult o f c ulture contact o f d iffusion f rom t he l arger Mexican culture. T he notions o f d iffusion a nd c ultural c ontact, h owever, h ave l imited e xplanatory power a nd t ell u s v ery l ittle a bout t he r elationship b etween c eramics and s ociety i n T icul. What i s important i s how t hese c hanges were i ntroduced i nto the c ommunity a nd t hen i ncorporated i nto the potter's craft. A ll o f t hese c hanges were i ntroduced v ia w orkshops. Workshops were r esponsible f or i ntroducing m olds, n ew vessel s hapes and n ew d ecorative t echniques. Workshops i ntroduced molds i nto T icul i n t he l ate 1 940s. T icul p otters l earned t o make n ew s hapes a nd p aint a ttractive d esigns i n t he workshops at the t ourist hotels a t U xmal, b ut these s hapes h ad n o market i n T icul a nd c ontinued t o b e m ade e xclusively a t U xmal u ntil 1 982 when t he l ast workshop a t Uxmal c losed. The U xmal workshops n ever employed more t han f ive potters a t one t ime, but a t l east 3 0 i ndividuals worked there d uring t he l ifetime o f t he workshops. A fter t hese p otters l eft U xmal, they u sed t he i deas, t echniques, a nd s kills that t hey h ad l earned t here t o p roduce pottery i n T icul. S ince t here was l ittle market f or t ourist p ottery until r elatively r ecently, t he experience a t t he U xmal workshops p readapted many T icul p otters f or making and d ecorating p ottery f or a t ourist market that has emerged o nly r elatively r ecently i n Yucatan. Workshops a re important s ources o f i nnovation b ecause t hey f ree t he potter f rom t he r isks o f p roduction. F irst, t he p otter-employee d oes n ot r un t he r isk o f f inding a b uyer f or i nnovative, b ut potentially unsalable p ottery. H e c an p roduce a nything t hat t he workshop owner w ants w ithout j eopardizing h is e conomic r eturns. S econd, workshop p otters g et p aid a r egular wage a nd do n ot n eed t o make t he c apital outlay t o p urchase c lay, t emper, a nd f irewood. Third, t hey d o not h ave t he r isk o f d elays a nd damage t o t he pottery f rom i nclement w eather ( see Arnold 1 985: C h. 3 ). Most i mportant, t hey d o not have to wait two weeks to f abricate, d ry, and f ire t heir pottery i n o rder to obtain c ash o r f ood. What h as h appened i n T icul, y ears i s t he d evelopment o f s pecialization a ssociated w ith 5 58

t hen, i n the l ast 2 0 a g reater d egree o f workshops. What i s

M aya P ottery A fter 2 0 Y ears s ignificant f rom a n a rchaeological p erspective i s t hat the d evelopment o f a d istant market f or p ottery h as l argely r emoved potters f rom t he d irect s ale o f i t to c onsumers, a nd t his market d emand f eeds b ack i nto the s pecialization o f t he c raft a s a d eviation amplifying mechanism ( see Arnold 1 985). T he T icul d ata s uggest t hat d iffusion and c ulture contact are n ot v ery powerful explanations o f c eramic c hange. C ontinuity o f paste t ypes during periods o f great c hange i n v essel s hapes a nd decoration does n ot n ecessarily r eflect c ultural h istorical f orces s uch a s population movement o r c onquest, b ut r ather r eflects the s ame p opulation b eing o rganized i n more c omplex ways to provide c eramics f or a l arger a nd g reatly e xpanded market. T he d evelopment o f workshops outside t he h ousehold i s a p lausible s ocial c orrelate f or t his p henomenon a nd a r easonable e xplanation f or why g reat c hanges h ave o ccurred i n T icul c eramics i n t he l ast twenty y ears.

Acknowledgments T his r esearch w as c arried out with t he f unding o f a n American R epublics Research Grant administered under t he F ulbright P rogram. I w ish t o t hank L ic. J ose L uis S ierra Villarreal, D irector o f t he C entro R egional d el S ureste d el I nstituto N acional de Antropologia e H istoria, P rofessor S alvador R odriguez, D irector o f t he E scuela d e C iencias Antropologicas, U niversidad d e Y ucatan, a nd t he entire s taff o f t he C entro Regional del I NAH and t he E scuela d e C iencias Antropologicas f or their hospitality, c ollaboration, a nd c ooperation i n f acilitating and s upporting t his r esearch. I a lso w ish t o thank a ll my p otter-friends i n T icul f or t heir help a nd c ooperation. I t w as a d elight t o b e b ack i n T icul a gain a nd meet s o many who r emembered my e arlier v isits f ifteen t o twenty y ears ago. The f unds f or p reparing t he p hotographs f or p ublication were p rovided b y t he Wheaton C ollege F aculty D evelopment F und, a dministered b y t he D ean o f Arts a nd S ciences, D r. P at Ward.

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