Society for American Archaeology

Clay Sources, Pottery Production, and Regional Economy in Chalchihuites, Mexico, A. D. 200-
900
Author(s): Nicola M. Strazicich
Source: Latin American Antiquity, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Sep., 1998), pp. 259-274
Published by: Society for American Archaeology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/971731 .
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 CLAYSOURCES,POTTERYPRODUCTION,AND REGIONALECONOMY
IN CHALCHlHtJITES,MEXICO,A.D. 20>900

NicolaM.Strazicich

Potteryand clays from the Chalchihuitesregion of northwesternZacatecas are characterized to examine ceramic production
and exchange among settlements between A.D. 400 and 900. Instrumentalneutron activation and petrographic analysis of
134 pottery and 26 clay samplesfrom three Chalchihuitesceremonial centers identifypottery madefrom local clays and dis-
tinguish potteryfound at each center that was not madefrom local clay deposits. Residents of Alta Vista, the region's main
center, acquired an elaborate painted warefrom a second center located 30 km away after A.D. 650. The ceramic composi-
tional data provide a basis for understandingthe distance and direction that pottery was exchanged in Chalchihuitesas eco-
nomic activities increased in the region.

La ceratmicay las muestras de arcilla de la regiotnde Chalchihuites del noroeste de Zacatecas son analizadas para docu-
mentar la produccion e intercambiode ceramica entre los asentamientosfechados entre 400 y 900 d.C. El ana'lisispor acti-
vaciotnneutronica y anatlisispetrografico de 134 tiestos y 26 muestras de arcilla procedentes de tres centros ceremoniales de
Chalchihuites indican una distincion entre las vajillas producidas en cada asentamiento y las vasijas adquiridas de otros
lugares. Despue'sde 650 d.C., los residentes de Alta Vista, el centro principal de la regiotn,fueron adquiriendo vasijas pin-
tadas de manera complicada de un segundo centro ubicado a 30 km de distancia. Los datos de composicion de la ceratmica
brindan una base pa ra comprenderla distancia y el rumbo del intercambio de la ceramica en Chalchihuites, a medida que
se incrementabanlas actividades econotmicasde la region.

A lta Vista and contemporaneousceremo-
nial centersin the Chalchihuitesregion of
northwestern Zacatecas are unique
among northern Mesoamerican settlements for
their social and economic expansion between
A.D. 650 and 850 (Figure 1). During this period
the people who built and occupied Alta Vista
practiced astronomy, controlled and expanded
local mining operations, imported turquoise to
fashion objects for export, and used elaborate
engraved and painted pottery (Aveni et al. 1982;
Kelley 1976, 1985; Weigand 1982). Several
scholarshave suggested that social and economic
expansion in Mesoamerica's northern polities,
like Alta Vista, occurredas Teotihuacandeclined
(Millon 1988; Nelson 1990, 1993, 1997). Little is
known, however, about the scale at which
exchange systems existed in Mesoamerica's
northernperipheryin the periods preceding and
correspondingto Teotihuacan'scollapse. The dis-
tance and direction that goods were moved from
productionlocations, the presence of centralized
and symmetricalexchange, and the volume and
type of goods involved key dimensions in
ancient exchange systems (Baugh and Ericson
1993; Plog 1977) have not been identiEledfor
prehispanicChalchihuites.
Here, I characterizethe chemical and miner-
alogical composition in pottery and clays from
Alta Vista and two additionalChalchihuitescen-
ters to determinewhetherpottery was exchanged
between sites during the initial Mesoamerican
occupationin Chalchihuitesand duringthe period
of economic growththat occurredafterA.D. 650.
The goals of the study are to determinewhether
pottery was produced and used locally at
Chalchihuitescenters before and after A.D. 650,
to identify pottery types that were exchanged
between sites, and to gain a better understanding
of Alta Vista's relationships with other regional

Nicola M. Strazicich * Centerfor ArchaeologicalMaterials,MassachusettsInstituteof Technology,Cambridge,MA 02139

LatinAmericanAntiquity,9(3), 1998, pp.259-274.

CopyrightC)by the Society for AmericanArchaeology

259
 , ?, :3>
F _ } 7r_ 0. _ . Mine
_ . _ . _ . Group
_ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _ . _

LATINAMERICANANTIQUITY [Vol. 9, No.3, 1998

260

l t'-\ sti--
t)0 ) j \ WA
'1 ' ! r Tropicof Cancer A

2 f/ KEY:
./ , . f ... . . .
. / , . .......... . . . . . . . .

t_ i2./ . * CeremonialCenter
* z A * * * * . * . * .

* * \ \ . . . . . * .

. .\ , * . . . . .

* * * \ ( * * -

-X l' '

t.> :. ^ Clay Sample

\ . . . . .
\ . . .

. C'ScMuiu k . _nrninsc^P.
*'?P: \
Qu l , :/,

Tl
t 0 102771 2 Sedimentary

, SCXIE [21Igneous(rhyolite)
:: . .

MEXICO

Figure 1. Map of the Chalchihuites area showing the location of sites mentioned in the text.

centers. The results indicate that, while residents
of Alta Vista used pottery made from local clays
between A.D. 650 and 850, they also acquiredan
elaborate painted ware from a second center
located 30 km away. This finding provides the
first evidence for regional ceramic exchange in
Chalchihuitesand suggests that Alta Vista main-
tained economic relations with the other regional
centers.
Background: Chalchihuites Regional
Economy, A.D. 400-900
Alta Vista, the main ceremonial center in
Chalchihuites,was established aroundA.D. 450
in a piedmontareaof the Rio Colorado,2°3' north
of the Tropic of Cancer (Figure 1). The site's
main architecturalcomplex extends over 8 ha and
comprises sunken plazas, temples, and pyramids
oriented to the cardinal directions. A masonry
extension to the main site that aligns with a dis-
tant peak in the landscape marks the spring and
autumnal equinoxes (Aveni et al. 1982; Kelley
1971, 1976, 1985; Kelley and Kelley 1996). A
prehispanicroad connects Alta Vista to a nearby
mine group where miners extracted hematite,
cinnabar, limonite, malachite, and weathered
chert from sedimentary conglomerate deposits
(Weigand 1968, 1977, 1982; Weigand and
Harbottle1993). Pottersin the Chalchihuitesarea
presumably used hematite to fill designs on
engravedpottery,and lapidariescarvedweathered
chert into ornamentalobjects.
Alta Vista's relationshipto CerroMoctezuma,
about 15 km to the northeast,a contemporarycen-
ter situatedon a steep rhyolite outcropoverlook-
ing the middle Rio San Antonio has not been
established. Cerro Moctezuma is approximately
the same size as Alta Vista and comprises40 to 50
contiguous patio banquette and patio platform
complexes, pyramids, altars, and ball courts
Strazicich] CLAYSOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO
(Schiavitti 1996). Inhabitants of Cerro
Moctezumaalso opened mines along the Rio San
Antonio. The site is situated 2 km from a large
mine group on the Rio San Antonio floodplain.
People at Alta Vista and at CerroMoctezumaused
the same kinds of engraved and painted pottery
between A.D. 400 and 650.
Between A.D. 650 and 900, Alta Vista and
other Rio Coloradosettlementsexpandedmining
activities. New tunnels and larger debris piles at
the mines indicate that they extracted more raw
materials than before (Schiavitti 1996). Artisans
at Alta Vista also processed materials obtained
throughlong-distancetrade.According to chemi-
cal characterizationstudies, Alta Vista lapidaries
began to work turquoisefrom northernZacatecas
and New Mexico by A.D. 650 (Harbottle and
Weigand 1992; Weigand and Harbottle 1993;
Weigandet al. 1977). Turquoiseobjects fashioned
at the site may have been exported to central
Mexico. Public buildings were remodeled, and
several new sunken patios surroundedby public
architecturewere constructedbetween A.D. 650
and 850. Burials with prestige goods and sacrifi-
cial victims appearedat the site for the first time
(Holien and Pickering 1978; Kelley and Kelley
1996), suggesting that disparity between social
classes was increasing. Smaller settlements pro-
liferated throughout the Chalchihuites region
after A.D. 650, reflecting overall population
expansion (Weigand 1977).
Cerro de los Bueyes, a third large settlement
situated 22 km east of Cerro Moctezuma at the
headwaters of the Rio San Antonio, was Alta
Vista's contemporarybetween A.D. 650 and 900.
Like CerroMoctezuma,Cerrode los Bueyes lies
along a steep rhyolitic ridge and comprises con-
tiguous patio banquette complexes that cover
more than 15 ha. Cerro de los Bueyes differed
from Alta Vista in social and economic organiza-
tion. The site lacks plannedlayouts, an astronom-
ical observatory, and mines. Soil in the area,
however, is more productive for agriculture
(Cetenal 1982). People at Alta Vista and Cerrode
los Bueyes used the same decoratedpotterytypes
between A.D. 650 and 850.
To identify the distance and directionthatpot-
tery was exchanged between Chalchihuitescen-
ters duringthe Classic and the Epiclassic periods,
I examine whetherpeople at each centerused pot-
261
tery manufacturedfrom local clays or acquired
vessels from more distant sources. The chemical
and mineral composition of engraved, painted,
and plain pottery from Alta Vista along the Rio
Colorado,and CerroMoctezumaand Cerrode los
Bueyes along the Rio San Antonio, is character-
ized along with that of 26 clay samples collected
within a 7-km radius of each site. The composi-
tional data allow me to identify chemical differ-
ences in the clays from the Colorado and San
Antonio drainages,to identify potterymade from
local clays, and to distinguish pottery found at
each center that was not made from local clay
deposits. The results indicate that plain and
engraved wares were locally produced at each
site, but Alta Vista's residents acquiredan elabo-
rate painted ware, Suchil Red-on-brown,manu-
factured from Cerro de los Bueyes clay, and
presumablyby Cerro de los Bueyes potters situ-
ated 30 km away.
Chalchihuites Pottery
The appearanceof two pottery types that lack
local antecedents, Canutillo Red-filled-engraved
and Gualterio Red-on-cream, marks Meso-
american settlement in the Chalchihuitesregion
between A.D. 400 and 650. CanutilloRed-filled-
engraved decoration occurs on highly polished
shallow plates and hemisphericalbowls with tri-
pod leg supports(Figure2). Pottersengravedsim-
ple geometric designs in a narrow band on the
vessel exterior and filled the excised areas with
red pigment afterfiring. The othertype, Gualterio
Red-on-cream, appears on bowls, ollas (wide-
neckedjars), and narrow-neckedjars (Kelley and
Kelley 1971:50). On the bowls, artisanspainted
continuous geometric designs on the interiorand
exterior (Figure 2). Between A.D. 200 and 650,
both types appearedin farminghamlets, villages,
and ceremonial centers including Alta Vista and
CerroMoctezumaalong the Rio Coloradoand the
Rio San Antonio drainages(Kelley 1971; Kelley
and Kelley 1971:10).
Gualterio and Canutillo ceramics were
replaced several hundredyears later by two new
decorated types, Michilia Red-filled-engraved
and Suchil Red-on-brown.These types appeared
at Alta Vista, Cerro de los Bueyes, and other
Chalchihuites sites between A.D. 650 and 900.
Michilia vessels are small, highly polished, tri-
 I -

262 LATIN AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 9, No.3, 1998

Years Engraved Wares Painted Wares

A.D.

1000

950

-
--

l
\o s - T r
t L f w 6 S/ w
850 t 1f111 X

750 O
_
S cm
e5cm

Michilia Red-filled-engraved Suchil Red-on-brown

_

650

550

450
..m'-!'
1
7,, >)

350

250
CanutilloRed-filled-engraved GualterioRed-on-cream

Figure 2. Chalchihuites pottery. Whole vessels redrawn with permission from Kelley and Kelley (1971).

pod-legged bowls. Potters removed large back-
ground areas to create the designs in negative
relief, then filled the excised areas with red pig-
ment that may be either hematite or cinnabar
(Figure 2). The designs depict life forms includ-
ing serpents, human heads, birds, deer, rabbits,
and coyotes, as well as geometric motifs (Kelley
and Kelley 1971:30). Shallow bowls, plates, and
ollas exhibit Suchil Red-on-brown decoration.
Design layouts and stylistic elements on Suchil
vessels are more complicated than the earlier
Gualterio painted wares (Figure 2). Interiorsof
Suchil bowls are divided into four parts, and life
forms such as birds, reptiles, and human figures
in ceremonial regalia are portrayedin opposing
quadrants(Kelley and Kelley 1971:59). Michilia
StrazEcich] CLAY SOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO 263

and Suchil vessels are widely distributed and briquettes formed from the clay samplesl were
occurredtogether in hamlets, villages, and cere- determinedat the Missouri University Research
monial centers in the Colorado and San Antonio Reactor facility (MURR) following procedures
drainagesbetween A.D. 650 and 900 (Kelley and describedby Glascock (1992).
Kelley 1971:62).
Petrographic Characteristics of
Sample Selection and Analytical Procedure Pottery and Clays
To determine whether pottery in the The petrographiccharacterizationsuggests that
Chalchihuitescenters was made from local clays, Chalchihuites potters added different mineral
I identified mineralconstituentsand analyzedthe suites to plain, engraved,and paintedpottery.The
chemical composition of Canutillo and Gualterio dominant minerals in the pottery and fired clay
vessels (A.D. 200-650) from Cerro Moctezuma, briquettes analyzed from the Rio Colorado and
and Michilia and Suchil vessels (A.D. 650-900) the Rio San Antonio drainagesare quartz,plagio-
from Cerro de los Bueyes and Alta Vista (Table clase feldspar, limonite, and volcanic rock.
1). The samples were selected from surface con- Biotite, volcanic glass, and zircon occur in small
texts thatrepresentresidentialpatios and middens proportions.The Rio Colorado engraved vessels
associated with central residential areas. I also exhibit smaller mineral constituents than
analyzed 45 plain bowl fragments, 15 from the engraved vessels from the Rio San Antonio and
same contexts at each site, to establish a compo- suggest thatthe Coloradopotteryand clays derive
sitional baseline for local production, because from sedimentary parent materials. Plain and
utilitarianvessels are less likely to be tradedthan painted vessels from Rio Colorado and Rio San
elaborately decorated labor-intensive goods Antonio sites exhibit larger mineral inclusions
(Earle 1982; Helms 1993; Renfrew 1975, 1977). than the clays collected from these drainagesand
Petrographicanalysis identifies the type, size, suggest that potters added quartz sand to their
and frequency of aplastic inclusions in pottery clays prior to manufacturingplain and painted
and clays. This informationcan be used to iden- wares. These distinctions are discussed in more
tify the pottery's geological origin, provided that detail below.
geologically restrictedmaterialsoccur in the pot-
tery, and to make inferences about the manufac- Chalchihuites Pottery Chemical Groups
turingprocess (Pool 1992; Stoltman 1989, 1991). I identified four pottery groups with distinct
Minerals,grog, clay pellets, matrix(materialless chemical compositions througha cluster analysis
than .1 micron diameter), and voids were and a principal components analysis2conducted
recordedby point counting potteryand clay sam- on the 32 element concentrations identified in
ples at 200X magnification with a Swift each potsherd.The hierarchicalcluster analysis,
Automatic point counter. For each section, 300 based on mean Euclidean distances, allowed me
mineral points were recorded in .3 mm incre- to separatethe samples into four groups with dis-
ments on linear transects spaced .6 mm apart. tinct chemical compositions. The groups were
Comparison of petrographicprofiles in pottery further refined with principal components and
and clay samples can indicate whether potters Mahalanobisdistance calculations (Baxter 1994;
added minerals and grog (crushedpottery) to the Glascock 1992; Leese and Main 1994). The first
clay matrix,and whetherminerals were added in five principalcomponentsaccount for 80 percent
different proportions to particular wares. The of the sample variance. The groups are labeled
chemical analysis, by neutron activation, gener- Colorado, San Antonio A, San Antonio B, and
ates a bulk chemical profile for the clay matrix San Antonio C because they representpotterycol-
and mineral inclusions in the pottery and clay lected in the Coloradoand San Antonio drainages
samples (Bishop et al. 1982; Neff 1993). Pottery and because they also group on the basis of com-
groups with distinct chemical composition can, position (Table 1). Bivariateplots of the first and
but do not always, representseparateclay sources third principal components for the artifact
used by prehistoricpotters.Concentrationsfor 32 chemistries illustrate the compositional differ-
elements in the Chalchihuites pottery and fired ences thatcreatethese groups(Figure3). The first
 LATINAMERICANANTIQUITY [Vol. 9, No.3, 1998

264
Table 1. Summaryof Chemical CompositionalGroupAssignments for ChalchihuitesPottery.

CerroMoctezuma Cerrode los Bueyes Alta Vista

A.D. 200-650 A.D. 650-900 A.D. 650-900
San Antonio San Antonio Colorado
Chemical group n Wo n Wo n Wo

Colorado
Plain 10 31.5
Gualterio 6.2
2
Canutillo 9.3
3
Suchil
Michilia 5 15.6 12 37.5
Total
15.6
5 15.6 22 68.8
5
San Antonio A
Plain
31.7
8 12.2 5 12.2
13
Gualterio
5 12.2
Canutillo
10 24.4
Total 8 12.2 5 12.2
28 68.3
San Antonio B
Plain 16.6
Gualterio 16.6
Canutillo 66.6
4
Total 100.0
6
San Antonio C
Plain 2 4.7
Gualterio 9.5
4
Canutillo 2.3
I
Suchil 15 35.7 14 33.3
Michilia 6 14.5
Total 23 54.7 14 33.3
5 10.4
Unassigned
Plain 38.4
Painted 7.6
7.6
2 5.3
Engraved 15.3
1 7.6 2
Total 53.8 15.3
4 30.7 7
2
Total
48 43
43

and third principal components are plotted
because the San Antonio referencegroupsoverlap
on the second component. The third component
betterillustratesthe separation.The high concen-
trations of manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), and
cobalt (Co) and the low concentrationsof the rare
earth element dysprosium (Dy), lutetium (Lu),
ytterbium(Yb), samarium(Sm), and Neodymium
(Nd), distinguish pottery in the Colorado group
from all other groups. Potteryin the San Antonio
A, B, and C groups exhibits lower Mn, Ca, and
Co and higher rare earth element (REE) concen-
trationsthan the Coloradogroup.Among the San
Antonio groups, Group B is differentiatedfrom
groups A and C by high arsenic (As) and anti-
mony (Sb) counts. GroupC is distinguishedfrom
the A, B, and Colorado groups by high barium
(Ba) concentrations. The identification of four
chemical groups in the Chalchihuites pottery
sample suggests that potters acquiredtheir clays
from at least four distinct clay deposits.
Relating Clay Sources to
Pottery Reference Groups
Chemical analytical data on briquettes formed
from 10 Rio Colorado and 16 Rio San Antonio
clay samples indicatethat the analyzed clay from
each drainage is compositionally distinct. The
clays were collected from exposed alluvial
deposits within a 7-km radiusof each site. These
 Strazicich] CLAYSOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO 265

o
| T l l l T l l l

, } l

w
w

Ose -, w w

|
W

o
o San Antonio A O AS
\ O cs San Antonio B
o
o

o o ' W; Colorado
o
o
o

L
o
o
I o su36WD o rB O cr _

/ o FE
0 oV
o
o - San Antonio C
O CA

O Colorado Chemical Group

o + San Antonio A Chemical Group
+ San Antonio B Chemical Group
O SR + San Antonio C Chemical Group

, , . , . , . , . , . , . , . , .
o

-0.1 2 -0.08 -0.04 o.oo 0.04 0.08 0.12 0 16 0.20

PCO 1

Figure 3. Bivariate plot of principal components #1 and #3 showing chemical compositional groups for Chalchihuites
pottery data. RQ-mode plot calculated on principal components 1-9 displays archaeological specimens and element
concentrations. Ellipses represent 90% confidence interval.

samples do not representall clay deposits within have low REE and high Ca and Co concentrations
the area.The higherproportionsof REE elements and would seem to derive from sedimentarypar-
found in clays along the Rio San Antonio reflect ent materials.3The Rio San Antonio clays and
igneous formations present in that drainage pottery in the San Antonio A, B, and C pottery
(Figure4). Acidic igneous rocks, such as rhyolite groups exhibit higher REE and lower Ca and Co
and andesite, have high REE, tantalum(Ta), and concentrationsthan the Rio Colorado material.
thorium(Th) concentrations(Condie et al. 1995). The higher REE concentrationssuggest that Rio
Clay weathered from igneous parent rocks con- San Antonio clays and pottery originate from
tains these elements in higherconcentrationsthan igneous parent materials. The Rio San Antonio
clays with a sedimentaryorigin. The San Antonio subgroupscan be furtherdifferentiatedfrom one
clays occur in rhyolitic formationsaroundCerro another based on the As and Sb concentrations
Moctezuma and Cerro de los Bueyes. The Rio presentin the pottery(Figure 4). High As and Sb
Colorado drainage,in contrast,is predominantly concentrations distinguish the middle Rio San
sedimentary. Clay samples from Alta Vista Antonio potteryand clays collected aroundCerro
exhibit lower REE concentrationsthat reflect a Moctezuma (San Antonio A and B) from upper
probablesedimentaryorigin. Rio San Antonio (San Antonio C) pottery and
The chemical differences among the clays clays collected aroundCerro de los Bueyes. The
allow them to be linked to the pottery groups upper Rio San Antonio clays are highly variable
(Colorado, and San Antonio A, B, and C). Rio and exhibit similarchemical compositions to that
Colorado clays and the Colorado pottery group of Cerro de los Bueyes and Cerro Moctezuma
 - D E ^ a a . E s E ^ a a ^ - - -

266 LATINAMERICANANTIQUITY
[Vol. 9, No.3, 1998

o
' ' . ' ' * l ' ' ' ' o ss

o
o San Antonio A o
oAS

San Antonio B
o
o

o
o o TH
rr o Colorado
o

o
o oY6 °

I
O S1X38^D o TB

o
o
oco
I
o CA
San Antonio C

o o BA
I
* Alta Vista clay sample
+ Cerro Moctezumaclay sample
D
o SR ° Cerro de los Bueyes clay sal ple
, . , . , , ,
o , , , , . I * ,
I -0.12 -0.08 -0.04 0.00 0.04
s

0.08 0.1 2 0.16 0.20

PCO1
Figure4. Bivariateplot of principalcomponents#1 and #3
for
for analyzedclay samples.Ellipsesrepresent90% Chalchihuiteschemicaldata indicatingchemicalgroup
affiliation
confidenceintervalfor the potterygroups.

pottery.Cerro de los Bueyes pottery dominates

Chalchihuitespottery production between A.D.
theSan Antonio C compositionalgroup. I use the
200and 900 are based on the proportion,prove-
"criterionof abundance" to assume that San nience,and types of pottery representedin the
AntonioC pottery was made locally and, by
chemicalreferencegroups.
extension,that local clays were used in its manu-
facture
(Bishop et al. 1982:301). PotteryProduction and Distribution,
A.D.200-650
Pottery Production in Chalchihuites,
A.D. 200-900 The petrographicand chemical data indicate
that
most Cerro Moctezuma pottery was made
Thechemical analyses indicatethat Rio Colorado from local clay betweenA.D. 200 and 650. Plain,
claysand Alta Vista pottery are chemically dis-
Gualterio,and Canutillo bowls from Cerro
tinct
from Rio San Antonio clays and the pottery
Moctezuma and clay samples collected around
recoveredat the Rio San Antonio sites, Cerro the
site exhibit quartz,plagioclase, and volcanic
Moctezuma and Cerro de los Bueyes. rockinclusions. Biotite, volcanic glass, and zir-
Chalchihuites
pottery(Coloradoand San Antonio con
occur in small proportions.Inclusion sizes in
A,
B, and C) was made using distinctclay sources
Gualterio, Canutillo, and plain pottery range
locatedin the Colorado and San Antonio
between .2 and .5 mm (Figure 5). Average min-
drainagesrespectively. Presumably, these clay eral
size in the clay samples ranges from .01 to .1
sources
were used by pottersfromAlta Vista (Rio mm.The larger inclusions in the pottery suggest
Colorado)and Cerro de los Bueyes and Cerro that
potters added quartz sand to San Antonio
Moctezuma (Rio San Antonio). Inferences about clays
to make plain, Canutillo,and Gualterioves-
Strazicich] CLAY SOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO 267

100% Medium(0.2-O.Smm)

/ \ * Canutillo

/ \ , O Gualterio

00 s
o o o*o
*o o o *v-)
.oo
.d-E *F

100% Fine (0.1-0.2mm) 100% Vely Fine (O.OS-0.1 mm)

Figure 5. Ternarydiagramillustratingproportionsof silt, ffne, and medium-sizedparticlesin CanutilloRed-fflled-

engraved,GualterioRed-on-cream,and plain potteryfrom CerroMoctezuma(SanAntonioA and B).

sels. The minerals were not added in sufficient
proportionsto change the chemical signaturefor
the clay source. As Table 1 shows, Cerro
Moctezuma pottery comes from two Rio San
Antonio clay sources (San Antonio A and San
Antonio B) based on the chemical characteriza-
tion. These deposits, located 2 to 3 km from Cerro
Moctezuma, are chemically similar to Cerro
Moctezuma pottery and were probably used to
make plain, Canutillo, and Gualteriovessels that
were discardedat the site.
In addition to manufacturing pottery from
middle Rio San Antonio clays, CerroMoctezuma
peoples acquiredfinished vessels from the upper
Rio San Antonio around Cerro de los Bueyes.
One Canutillo and four Gualterio bowls recov-
ered from CerroMoctezumahave the same chem-
ical composition as upper Rio San Antonio
pottery and clays located 15 km east at Cerrode
los Bueyes (San Antonio C). It is likely thatCerro
Moctezuma peoples acquired decorated vessels
from CerroMoctezumaor its vicinity, ratherthan
transportedclay, duringthe period fromA.D. 200
to 650. Among ethnographically documented
subsistenceagriculturists,pottersgenerallydo not
transport raw clays more than 1 km (Arnold
1985:57).
The people of CerroMoctezumaalso acquired
vessels from the Rio Coloradobetween A.D. 200
and 650. Five decoratedbowls-three Canutillo
and two Gualterio recovered from Cerro
Moctezuma appearto have been made from Rio
Colorado clays (Colorado group, Table 1). Rio
Colorado clay sources are at least 10 km from
Cerro Moctezuma, and it is unlikely that Cerro
Moctezuma potters collected clay along the Rio
Coloradobecause clay deposits adjacentto Cerro
Moctezuma were suitable for potting. These five
bowls were probably made by potters along the
Rio Coloradoand discardedat CerroMoctezuma
along the Rio San Antonio.
Pottery Production and Distribution,
A.D. 650-900
Between A.D. 650 and 900, the petrographicand
chemical data indicate that Alta Vista peoples
 AMERICANANTIQUITY 9, No.3, 1998
[Vol.
268 LATIN

100%Medium(0.2-O.5mm)

A . AVPlain
# \ X O AVMichilia

; s
oso -
y
W

o o o o
/ o
*oo 968 .S

100% Fine (0.05-0.1 mm) 100% Silt (0.002-O.OSmm)

medium-sizedparticlesin Michilia Red-filled-

Figure6. Ternarydiagramillustratingproportionsof silt, fine, and
engravedand plain potteryfromAlta Vista (Colorado).

acquiredSuchil bowls manufacturedfrom clays
in the upper Rio San Antonio near Cerro de los
Bueyes. Residents of Cerro de los Bueyes
acquiredMichilia bowls made from Rio Colorado
clays. The petrographiccharacterizationindicates
that minerals added to the plain and engraved
wares from Alta Vista and Cerro de los Bueyes
differedfrom the Suchil paintedwares afterA.D.
650. The plain and Suchil painted bowls from
Alta Vista and Cerro de los Bueyes have larger
mineral inclusions (averaging .4 to .9 mm) than
the Michilia engravedbowls (averaging .01 to .1
mm) from each site (Figures6, 7). Michilia bowls
fromAlta Vista exhibit smallermineralinclusions
and higher proportionsof plagioclase and grog
temper than their Cerro de los Bueyes counter-
parts(Figures 8, 9). The smaller inclusions in the
Alta Vista vessels and the difference in mineral
composition suggest that different clays were
used to make Michilia vessels at Alta Vista and at
Cerrode los Bueyes. Clay treatmentand temper-
ing techniques differed at each site The Suchil
bowls analyzed from Alta Vista and Cerrode los
Bueyes exhibit identical inclusion sizes and min-
eral constituents. Predominant minerals in the
Suchil vessels include large (.4 to .9 mm) angular
quartz,plagioclase, limonite, and volcanic glass.
The mineralogical homogeneity in the samples
fromAlta Vista and Cerrode los Bueyes suggests
that Suchil bowls were manufacturedfrom the
same parentclays.
The chemical and mineralogicalcharacteriza-
tions suggest that the residentsof Alta Vista used
plain and Michilia pottery made from locally
availableclay along the Rio Colorado.As Table 1
shows, most plain and Michilia engravedpottery
analyzed from Alta Vista was made from clays
with composition similar to clay sources in the
Rio Colorado (Colorado group). These vessels
were probably made at Alta Vista. Alta Vista's
residentsalso acquiredplain vessels from the Rio
San Antonio. Five plain bowls recovered from
Strazicich] CLAY SOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO
269

100% Medium(0.2-O.5mm)

* Suchil

O Plain
* Michilia

-
na

olo
- - v v
)0\\so9
v ^

o o o*,it o o*o
*o .d-E
*v-)
.oo

100% Fine (0.05-0.1 mm) 100%Silt (0.002-o.05mm)

Figure7. Ternarydiagramillustratingproportionsof silt, fine, and medium-sizedparticlesin Suchil Red-on-brown
MichiliaRed-filled-engraved,
and plain potteryfrom Cerrode los Bueyes(SanAntonioC).

Alta Vista match middle Rio San Antonio pottery
and clay chemical profiles (San Antonio A, Table
1). Because Alta Vista is located 10 km from the
Rio San Antonio, these vessels were probably
made along the Rio San Antonio and subse-
quently moved to Alta Vista. The inhabitantsof
Alta Vista also used Suchil decoratedbowls made
from upperRio San Antonio clays located around
Cerrode los Bueyes. Every Suchil bowl analyzed
from Alta Vista matchesthe chemical profiles for
upper Rio San Antonio pottery clays collected
around Cerro de los Bueyes (San Antonio C,
Figure 10). Alta Vista potterscould have collected
clay in the Cerro de los Bueyes area to make
Suchil bowls, but Alta Vista and Cerro de los
Bueyes are situated 30 km apart, and workable
clays were available aroundAlta Vista along the
Rio Colorado. Suchil bowls recovered from Alta
Vista and Cerrode los Bueyes are chemically and
mineralogically homogeneous and exhibit the
same chemical profile as Cerrode los Bueyes pot-
tery.The compositionaldata stronglysuggest that
all of the Suchil samples analyzedwere manufac-
tured from the same clay and temper that origi-
natedin the Cerrode los Bueyes area.Alta Vista's
residents almost certainly imported these elabo-
rately decorated wares from the upper Rio San
Antonio, around Cerro de los Bueyes, between
A.D. 650 and 900.
The residents of Cerro de los Bueyes on the
upper Rio San Antonio, the second major cere-
monial center in Chalchihuitesbetween A.D. 650
and 900, also used pottery made from local clay
deposits. Plain, Suchil, and Michilia vessels
recovered from Cerro de los Bueyes were made
from clay sources in the upper Rio San Antonio
(San Antonio C, Table 1). Cerro de los Bueyes
residents also acquiredplain vessels made from
middle Rio San Antonio clays. Eight Cerrode los
Bueyes plain bowls have the same chemical pro-
file as CerroMoctezumapottery and clays (mid-
dle Rio San Antonio clays, San Antonio A).
270 LATINAMERICANANTIQUITY [Vol. 9, No.3, 1998

100% Med ium (0.2-0. 5 mm)

ooNo / o o o o o

100%Fine (0.05-0.1mm) 100% S i It (0. 002-O.OSmm)

Figure 8. Ternary diagram illustrating proportions of silt, fine, and medium-sized particles in Suchil Red-on-brown
and Michilia Red-filled-engraved pottery from Cerro de los Bueyes and Alta Vista (Colorado and San Antonio C).

Residents of Cerrode los Bueyes acquiredsome Cerrode los Bueyes.

finished Michilia bowls from the Alta Vista area
between A.D. 650 and 900. Five Cerro de los
Bueyes Michilia bowls were made from clays
with the same chemical compositionas Alta Vista
pottery and similar composition to Rio Colorado
clays (Colorado group, Table 1). These vessels
were probably made by Alta Vista potters and
subsequentlytransportedto Cerrode los Bueyes.
Discussion
The ceramic compositional data provide new
information on pottery production in
Chalchihuitesand on change in the direction and
distance that pottery was exchanged between
A.D. 200 and 650. The analyses indicate that
ceramic exchange occurredat least on a regional
scale in Chalchihuites as economic specializa-
tions in mining and turquoise processing devel-
oped. The information on pottery exchange
provides evidence for Alta Vista's relationshipto
the other regional centers, Cerro Moctezumaand
Priorto A.D. 650, the same potterytypes were
exchanged between the Colorado and San
Antonio drainages.Cerro Moctezuma, along the
Rio San Antonio, obtainedpainted and engraved
bowls from the Rio Colorado. Alta Vista's resi-
dents obtained some decorated bowls from the
middle Rio San Antonio around Cerro
Moctezuma. Little is known about Alta Vista's
relationship to settlements along the Rio San
Antonio, including CerroMoctezuma,duringthe
early Mesoamericanoccupationin Chalchihuites.
Alta Vista and Cerro Moctezuma were the same
size, centrally located, and they controlled local
mining activities. At present, their pottery
exchange can be attributedto casual interaction.
After A.D. 650, asymmetrical exchange in
painted pottery developed as Alta Vista acquired
Suchil bowls made from upper Rio San Antonio
clays. Cerro de los Bueyes acquired some
Michilia vessels from the Rio Colorado at this
time. Alta Vista's acquisition of Suchil bowls
 Strazicich] CLAY SOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO
100% Limonite
o
olo
o o
Zoo
o
o *d'
100% Grog
Figure 9. Ternary diagram showing percentage of quartz, plagioclase, and grog temper in Michilia Red-filled-engraved
pottery from Alta Vista and Cerro de los Bueyes
from the Cerro de los Bueyes vicinity may have
been structuredby a difference in social and eco-
nomic organization at the two sites. Alta Vista
was centrallyplanned, and its residentspracticed
astronomy, controlled mining operations, and
imported turquoise. In contrast, Cerro de los
Bueyes is 6 ha largerthan Alta Vista and lacked
central planning, a turquoisetrade, astronomical
features, and mines. It is also situated on better
quality agricultural land. Mines in the
Chalchihuitesarea cluster aroundAlta Vista and
Cerro Moctezuma. Perhaps communities like
Cerrode los Bueyes that lacked access or control
over mines may have supplied Alta Vista with
Suchil pottery or other commodities in exchange
for mine products (Strazicich 1995:386).
Exchange systems often develop to ensure access
to spatially restricted resources in preindustrial
societies (Hirth 1984). The compositional data
provide support for ceramic exchange, although
minerals from the Colorado and San Antonio
mines have not yet been identified at Cerrode los
271
* Alta vista
V Cerrode los Bueyes
-
o
-
o o
.H o
100% Plagioclase
Bueyes or surroundingsites.
Alta Vista's residents acquired Suchil vessels
from Cerrode los Bueyes as they increasedmin-
ing and turquoise-processingefforts at the site. It
is possible that labor available for production
tasks like mining, turquoise,and pottery produc-
tion was finite at Alta Vista, and increasedpartic-
ipation in mining and lapidary crafts reduced
labor available for pottery manufacture.Because
pottery manufacturein nonindustrialsocieties is
scheduled with numerous production tasks
(Arnold 1985:226; Arnold 1991), potteryproduc-
tion could have been scheduled for periods when
mining or agriculturalactivities were at a mini-
mum. Alternatively, pottery manufacture may
have been delegated to individualsuninvolved in
mining. The compositionaldata supportthe latter
alternativeand suggest thatAlta Vista's residents
solicited decoratedpotteryfrom settlementsin the
Rio San Antonio, including Cerrode los Bueyes,
that were not involved in mining.
Pottery exchange among Chalchihuites sites
 AMERICANANTIQUITY
LATIN [Vol.9, No.3, 1998
272

0
G
o

o
o

o
o

o
o
o

CL

O g _

o \
\

I -0.06 0.08

SanAntonioC pco l
(SuchilRed-on-brown)
for Alta Vista pottery. RQ-
Figure 10. Plot of principal components #1 and #3 showing chemical group assignments
1-9. Ellipses represent 90% confidence interval.
mode plot calculated on principal components

occurred as social and political relationships
amongMesoamerica'snorthernpolities were dis-
rupted by Teotihuacan's decline. Teotihuacan
apparentlycontrolledtraderoutes in northernand
western Mexico that obtained cinnabarfrom the
Sierra de Queretaroand possibly minerals from
Chalchihuites (Millon 1988; Weigand 1982;
Weigand and Harbottle 1993). These trade net-
works were curtailedafterA.D. 650 and perhaps
created new and larger local markets for
Chalchihuitesmineralsand worked turquoise.As
Alta Vista's residents expanded mining and
turquoise-processing industries, practices for
making and acquiring pottery changed and fos-
tered new exchange relations. This first ceramic
compositional study for northern Mesoamerica
provides evidence for economic relationships
among Chalchihuites settlements during the
region's initial occupation and suggests that
regional pottery exchange networks intensified
during the social and economic expansion that
occurredafterA.D. 650.
Acknowledgments.Financial supportfor this study was pro-
vided by an NSF Dissertation Improvement award (Grant
SBR-9420704), the Missouri University Research Reactor
Fellowships in Archaeometry program, and the Mark
Diamond Grants in Aid of Research program at SUNY
Buffalo. I thank Drs. Hector Neff and Michael Glascock for
their support and for the opportunity to work at MURR.
Permissionto carryout fieldwork in Zacatecas and to export
samples was granted by the Instituto Nacional de
Antropologia e Historia. I thank Baudelina Garcia Uranga,
Peter Jimenez Betts, Raul Toledo Farias, Francisco Roman
Gutierrez,AlejandroMartinezMuriel, and LorenaMirambell
Silva for their assistance. I am grateful to Ben Nelson, J.
Charles Kelley, Hector Neff, Heather Lechtman, Thomas
Tartaron,Maria Masucci, Vincent Schiavitti, Paula Turkon,
 Strazicich] CLAYSOURCES, POTTERYPRODUCTIONIN CHALCHIHUITES,MEXICO
several anonymousreviewers from LatinAmericanAntiquity,
and, especially, Dorothy Hosler for their constructive com-
ments on earlier versions of the manuscript.I remain fully
responsible for any errors in the final version. Vincent
Schiavitti generously contributedpottery from his field col-
lections to this study.
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Notes
1. The clay samples were rehydratedwith deionized water,
formed into briquettes, and fired in a reducing atmosphere
for one hour at 750°C prior to irradiationand thin-section
preparation.
2. Element concentrationswere recordedin partsper million,
then converted to log base lO values to compensate for dif-
ferences in magnitudebetween the majorand trace elements.
Eigenvectors of the variance-covariance matrix for the
logged elemental concentrations generated from the princi-
pal components analysis are used as reference axes that
describe the distribution of elements in the Chalchihuites
pottery and clay element data.
3. The Alta Vista area clay samples do not exhibit good prob-
ability for inclusion in the Rio Colorado reference group
based on Mahalanobisdistance estimates. Two Rio Colorado
samples showed good probability for inclusion in the San
Antonio A pottery reference group. The match is created by
the higher dispersion in the San Antonio A group pottery
than in the Colorado and San Antonio C groups. The unas-
signed clay samples are attributedto the group with the high-
est dispersion.
Received May 17, 1996; accepted May 22, 1997; revisedJuly
2, 1997.