Teotihuacan was founded in a side valley of the Basin of Mexico during the first centuries of the common era and at its height reached a size of approximately 20 square kilometers. During A. D. 400-700, the Middle Classic period, architecture and portable artifacts in the Teotihuacan style are distributed throughout Mesoamerica. The distribution of Teotihuacan style material culture is often cited as evidence that Teotihuacan had the social and political complexity characteristic of early expansionistic states, and was in fact the first empire of highland Mexico. This study traces patterns of Teotihuacan influence in Gulf Coast ceramic assemblages in order to reconstruct relationships between Teotihuacan and various Classic period Gulf Coast polities. Here influence is defined as all archaeological indications of contact between two culturally or ethnically distinct populations. Variation in the timing and patterning of influence indicates variation in the nature of the relationships sustained between the two populations. To control for temporal and geographic variation, ceramic sequences and assemblage descriptions currently in use both at Teotihuacan and on the Gulf Coast are discussed and evaluated. Patterns of Teotihuacan influence in the ceramic assemblages of the Gulf Coast are shown to vary considerably from area to area and reflect clear differences in the timing and duration of Teotihuacan contact. Variation also occurs in the fidelity with which local imitations adhere to Teotihuacan stylistic conventions, the depositional context in which Teotihuacan imitations occur, and the range and types of Teotihuacan ceramic artifacts copied. The resulting patterns are interpreted to be meaningful in terms of past relationships between Teotihuacan and various Gulf Coast polities. The existence of Teotihuacan imperial control over part of the Gulf Coast is suggested.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/186001 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Yarborough, Clare McJimsey. |
| Contributors | Culbert, T. Patrick, Stark, Barbara L., Reid, J. Jefferson |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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