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THE TRADE IN COOKING POTS UNDER THE AZTEC AND SPANISH EMPIRES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2016

Enrique Rodríguez-Alegría  and
Wesley D. Stoner
Enrique Rodríguez-Alegría*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2201 Speedway, C3200, Austin, Texas 78712
Wesley D. Stoner
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 343 Old Main, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
*
E-mail Correspondence to: chanfle@austin.utexas.edu
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Abstract

Elizabeth Brumfiel studied the local production and exchange of pottery in Xaltocan as part of her ongoing efforts to study the link between women's work and political change. We give continuity to Brumfiel's work by presenting a chemical characterization study of Plain Ware and lead-glazed earthenware in Xaltocan, Mexico. These wares were mostly used by women for cooking and storage. The pattern shows that the people of Postclassic Xaltocan increased their reliance on Plain Ware from nearby Cuauhtitlan through time, before and after they were conquered by the Aztecs. After the Spanish conquest, the people of Xaltocan relied more heavily on locally produced Plain Ware and began using lead-glazed earthenware. These two different empires affected the trade in cooking tools even though it was not part of their policies to affect the domestic economy directly.

Type
Special Section: Breaking and Entering The Ecosystem—Remembering Elizabeth M. Brumfiel
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , Spring 2016 , pp. 197 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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References

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