Ceramics are more than merely the most common artifact type in the archaeological record of most parts of the world. While they have long served as chronological markers, they also provide insights into the daily lives of the people who made, used, and exchanged them. In this dissertation I present a study of three ceramic assemblages from the Tlajinga district of Classic period (AD 100 – 650) Teotihuacan, Mexico. I focus on consumption practices and temporal changes by evaluating the ceramics recovered through excavations at two multifamily apartment compounds and a neighborhood center.
I first compare the assemblages from each area, then assess how they changed over time. Given that the composition of ceramic assemblages results from different use and depositional practices, one of the main issues addressed is the importance of contextual information for their analysis. Thus, I analyzed primary deposits in relation to stratigraphic data; this way, I provide a basis for the relative dating of the three sites and the refinement of the existing ceramic chronology. Absolute dates came from the largest number of radiocarbon dates analyzed thus far for a residential sector at Teotihuacan. I also employed three analytical techniques: chemical residue analysis to identify vessel contents, and petrographic and neutron activation analysis to identify clay sources. Even though Tlajinga’s inhabitants used most of their utilitarian wares for cooking, storing, and serving purposes, the chemical residue analysis suggests other uses and possible reuses that challenge what we believed was the sole function of certain ceramic vessels. Petrographic and compositional studies group locally manufactured ceramics and distinguish imports into clear provenance clusters, allowing us to better understand interregional exchange and ceramic consumption in Tlajinga. Results illustrate that there is a uniformity in the ceramic assemblages of the two domestic areas but they differ significantly from those recovered from the neighborhood center, of a presumed more public function.
This study uses a multidisciplinary approach to demonstrate a clear difference between the private and the public spheres at Tlajinga. This has important implications for understanding urban lifeways and the organization of domestic and neighborhood space at Teotihuacan. / 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/49064 |
| Date | 02 July 2024 |
| Creators | Hernandez Sarinana, Daniela |
| Contributors | Carballo, David M. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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