abstract: There has been debate and uncertainty on two important issues in the Basin of Mexico: the formation of Epiclassic city-states following Teotihuacan state collapse (ca. A.D. 650), and the nature of the subsequent Early Postclassic Tula state expansion. I evaluate the Basin as a case of regeneration of socio-political complexity using stylistic and compositional pottery analysis to examine patterns of interaction from the Epiclassic (ca. A.D. 600/650-850) through the Early Postclassic (ca. A.D. 850-1150). I selected representative specimens of temporally diagnostic pottery from the three large settlement clusters in the northwestern Basin (Tula and the Zumpango region), the northeastern Basin (Teotihuacan Valley), and the southeastern Basin (Cerro Portezuelo, the Ixtapalapa and Chalco regions) to assess: 1) participation in regional cultural complexes, 2) direct exchange or local production of particular pottery types, 3) regional variation in the production of pottery. For certain time periods, ceramic patterns among smaller settlements clusters were distinguished. The combination of chemical and attribute analysis provided a robust method for identifying regional variation in pottery. Chemical characterization using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used to provide fine-scaled compositional reference groups to assess regional production and exchange. Stylistic and technological attributes were used to define highly visible decorative traditions that were easily copied and low visibility production steps that were learned. Teotihuacan withdrawal from the southeastern Basin prompted reorganization and adoption of a distinctive pottery complex. Epiclassic settlement patterns throughout the Basin were reorganized into nucleated settlement clusters with unoccupied areas between them. Results indicate regional participation in the Coyotlatelco pottery tradition and a strong pattern of consumption of locally produced pottery by settlement cluster. Tula underwent significant urban growth in the Early Postclassic, while the Basin was marked by a process of "ruralization" as the Epiclassic centers dispersed and settlements filled the previously unoccupied landscape. Tula expanded its influence into the Basin with varying degrees of integration. The closest settlements in the northwestern Basin acquired the most Tula-produced pottery. The Teotihuacan Valley and Cerro Portezuelo settlements consumed mostly locally produced Tula style pottery. The southeastern settlements were least connected to Tula and initiated interactions towards Puebla-Tlaxcala. / Dissertation/Thesis / Notes authorizing use of figures. Not to be posted to public or part of publication / Ph.D. Anthropology 2011

abstract: Unlike traditional frontier studies that treat the frontier as monolithic and focus on core-periphery interactions involving colonialism and acculturation, this dissertation seeks to characterize the internal social dynamics of frontier regions using the collective social identification framework. Concentrating on the intraregional and intrasite scales makes it possible to directly evaluate the bottom-up processes involved in the formation of collective social identities within frontier zones (i.e., sociopolitical development divorced from core-centric actions). Derived from social science research aimed at understanding the development of modern nation-states and social movements, the theoretical framework implemented in this research centers on the idea that sustained collective action depends on the degree to which groups of individuals share networks of social interaction (i.e., relational identification) and recognize membership in the same social categories (i.e. categorical identification). Applying this model to the site of La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico, provides a methodology for assessing the potential for collective action through time and across spatial scales based on the degree of categorical commonality or the strength of relational connections among the site’s inhabitants. Dating to the Epiclassic period (600-900 CE), La Quemada was founded during the cultural florescence of the northern frontier of Mesoamerica, but the site was abandoned ca. 800-900 CE while other polities persisted. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a change in how the occupants of La Quemada identified with one another decreased the potential for collective action over time and contributed to site abandonment. Material proxies in the form of ceramic-style categories (i.e., shared styles expressing categorical affiliation) and fabric classes (i.e., shared pastes indicative of relational networks) are used to assess the temporal and spatial consistency of social identification at multiple socio-spatial scales within the site of La Quemada. The results of this research, however, find that despite fluctuations in the expression of categorical identification among La Quemada residents it was the strength of their relational ties that gave them the capacity to recover. Furthermore, the capacity for collective action was high preceding site abandonment, suggesting that a disruption in the social fabric of La Quemada did not contribute to its decline and abandonment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2018

L’Epiclassique mésoaméricain (600 à 900 apr. J.-C.) est décrit comme une période pendant laquelle de nombreux mouvements de populations ont lieu à l’échelle suprarégionale. Dans les états de Puebla-Tlaxcala et Morelos et malgré les découvertes des peintures murales de Cacaxtla au style oriental marqué il y a plus de 30 ans, les interactions ainsi que leurs modalités sont demeurées mal connues. Cette thèse vise précisément à comprendre leurs caractéristiques et leurs enjeux. Grâce à l’étude de pièces iconographiques inédites, à la synthèse du matériel archéologique des quatre plus grands sites de la région (Cacaxtla-Xochitecatl, Xochicalco, Cantona et Cholula) et leur confrontation aux théories anthropologiques, économiques et artistiques sur les interactions, nous sommes en mesure d’identifier les caractéristiques fondamentales de ce phénomène crucial de la période. Grâce à l’ouverture des réseaux du Classique, les élites de l’Epiclassique sont en contact périodique avec celles de sociétés situées sur la Côte du Golfe et dans le monde maya. Le contexte local de compétition caractéristique des cités-états ainsi que la volonté de se démarquer des anciens schèmes politiques de Teotihuacan, largement affecté par une crise conséquente, encouragent ces élites à chercher des stratégies alternatives de légitimation. Elles adaptent délibérément une série de spécificités orientales : urbanisme, architecture, sculpture monumentale, et marqueurs de prestige (ou de rang) afin de construire et de mettre en scène leur relation aux sphères sub et surhumaines. Tout porte à croire que la conception politique expérimente alors un changement d’envergure majeure. / The Mesoamerican Epiclassic (600 to 900 AD) is described as a period during which numerous population movements took place between regions. Despite the discoveries of the oriental style paintings of Cacaxtla more than 30 years ago, interactions and their modes remained poorly understood in the Puebla-Tlaxcala and Morelos states. This thesis aims precisely at understanding their characteristics and stakes. Thanks to the study of unpublished artworks, to the synthesis of archaeological data from four of the biggest sites of the region (Cacaxtla-Xochitecatl, Xochicalco, Cantona and Cholula) and to the confrontation of this data to anthropological, economic and artistic theories on interactions, we are now able to identify the fundamental characteristics of this crucial phenomenon. With the opening of networks during the Classic period, the Epiclassic elites are in periodic contact with those of societies situated on the Gulf Coast and in the Maya area. The local competitive context characteristic of city-states, and the will to diferentiate from the previous political schemes of Teotihuacan, afected by consequential crisis, encourage these elites to ind alternative strategies of legitimization. They deliberately adapt a series of oriental speciicities: urbanism, architecture, monumental sculpture, and prestige (or rank) markers to build and shape their relationship to sub and superhuman spheres. Political conception seems then to go through major changes. / El Epiclásico mesoamericano (600 a 900 dne) es descrito como un periodo durante el cual ocurren numerosos movimientos poblacionales a escala suprarregional. En los estados de Puebla-Tlaxcala y Morelos y a pesar del descubrimiento hace más de 30 años de las pinturas murales con estilo oriental marcado de Cacaxtla, las interacciones y sus modalidades han permanecido poco entendidas. Esta tesis tiene precisamente como objetivo entender sus características y retos. Gracias al estudio de piezas iconográicas inéditas, a la síntesis del material arqueológico de cuatro de los más grandes sitios de la región (Cacaxtla-Xochitecatl, Xochicalco, Cantona y Cholula) y a su confrontación a las teorías antropológicas, económicas y artísticas sobre interacciones, podemos identiicar las características fundamentales de este fenómeno crucial del periodo. Gracias a la apertura de redes del Clásico, las elites del Epiclásico están en contacto periódico con las de sociedades situadas en la Costa del Golfo y en el mundo maya. El contexto local de competición típico de ciudades estado, y la voluntad de distanciarse de antiguos esquemas políticos de Teotihuacan, ampliamente afectado por una crisis consecuente, fomenta la búsqueda de estrategias alternativas de legitimización. Las elites adaptan de forma deliberada una serie de especiicidades orientales : urbanismo, arquitectura, escultura monumental y marcadores de prestigio (o de rango), a in de construir y de poner en escena su relación a esferas sub y sobrenaturales. La evidencia aquí presentada lleva a proponer que la concepción política experimenta entonces una transformación mayor.