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EXCAVATION OF AN OBSIDIAN CRAFT WORKSHOP AT TEOTIHUACAN, MEXICO

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2019

Kenneth G. Hirth ,
David M. Carballo ,
Mark Dennison ,
Sean Carr ,
Sarah Imfeld  and
Eric Dyrdahl
Kenneth G. Hirth*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
David M. Carballo
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, STO 247D, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Mark Dennison
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, 101 Dinwiddie Hall, 6823 St Charles Ave, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
Sean Carr
Affiliation:
615 Cricket Avenue, Glenside, Pennsylvania 19038
Sarah Imfeld
Affiliation:
2516 Eaglerock Drive, Corona, California 92881
Eric Dyrdahl
Affiliation:
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Escuela de Antropología, Av. 12 de Octubre E10-76 y Roca, Quito, Ecuador
*
E-mail correspondence to: kgh2@psu.edu
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Abstract

The original research by the Teotihuacan Mapping Project (TMP) identified a large number of obsidian workshops within Teotihuacan based on surface concentrations of production debris. Clark (1986b) questioned the validity of these identifications and called for subsurface excavation to confirm the presence of in situ workshop locales. This article summarizes the results from the excavation of one of the obsidian workshops identified in the Tlajinga district of Teotihuacan at Compound 17:S3E1 (Compound 17). We describe the excavations, discuss the lithic technology, and examine the subsurface contexts in terms of what they tell us about in situ obsidian craft activity. Excavations confirm that Compound 17 was a locus of large-scale obsidian craft production during the Classic period. While only a single test case, these results suggest that surface remains at Teotihuacan can be a useful guide in identifying craft production areas when they are confirmed through subsurface testing.

Type
Special Section: Urban Life on Teotihuacan's Periphery–New Research at the Tlajinga District
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , Spring 2019 , pp. 163 - 179
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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