Project Reports - SAA 2008 Annual Meeting

Changing Polities, Economies, and Identities in Classic and Postclassic Central Mexico : Perspectives from Cerro Portezuelo Organizers G L Cowgill and D L Nichols.

We discuss new data from field and laboratory investigations bearing on the closely intertwined topics of political systems, economies, and identities in highland central Mexico . For the period of Teotihuacan ’s dominance we consider the production and distribution of ceramics and stone tools, diverse identities as reflected in burial practices, and relations between the city and nearby hinterland settlements, especially Cerro Portezuelo. We also address the collapse of the Teotihuacan state and shifts in politics, economics, and identities, reformulations in the era of Tula ’s prominence, the rise of the Aztece empire, and catastrophic consequences of the Spanish conquest.

Frederic Hicks (Louisville) The Architectural Features at Cerro Portezuelo.

Excavations at the site were begun by George Brainerd in 1954 and continued in 1955, but he died before a projected 1956 season materialized. Except for a few small structures higher on the hill, no signs of structures were visible on the surface. Architectural features revealed by excavation included a platform structure with associated caches that suggest a Middle Classic date; platform structures of the Epiclassic; and a residential complex which may span the Early and Late Postclassic. This included a sunken patio, a free-standing shrine, habitational rooms, and other features. Construction materials included stone, adobe brick, and tepetate.

Sarah Clayton (ASU), Measuring the Long Arm of the State: Teotihuacan 's Relations in the Basin of Mexico.

Teotihuacan has long been viewed as a primate center, dominating surrounding settlements in the Basin of Mexico both politically and economically. Its specific relationships with nearby subordinate polities, however, are not well understood. In this paper I consider Teotihuacan ’s varying involvement with surrounding Basin settlements by comparing ceramic assemblages from two distinct sites: Axotlan, in the west, and Cerro Portezuelo, in the south. Results suggest that the nature of Teotihuacan ’s relationships with secondary Basin settlements varied considerably. This variation likely reflects differing strategies on the part of the state and varying degrees of political and economic autonomy among Basin polities.

George Cowgill (ASU), Reassessing the Classic to Epiclassic Transition at Cerro Portezuelo, Basin of Mexico .

In the 1950s, when the Basin of Mexico ceramic sequence was poorly known, Cerro Portezuelo pottery seemed to have good evidence of a transition from terminal Teotihuacan to a full-blown Epiclassic complex. Re-examination of the data in light of more recent knowledge confirms that Teotihuacan-style ceramics are abundant there, but little of the Epiclassic complex can plausibly be derived from Teotihuacan antecedents, and much of it has more likely sources outside the Basin. A transitional complex remains elusive. The case for significant Epiclassic migration into the Basin of Mexico gains additional support from Cerro Portezuelo data.

Michael Spence, Christine D. White, and Fred Longstaffe (Western Ontario) The Human Skeletons of Cerro Portezuelo.

In the 1954-57 archaeological investigations at Cerro Portezuelo , Mexico , some 64 burial features were excavated, most of them dating to the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods.  However, only about 20% of these features (MNI=22) are represented in the skeletal collections from the site.  This series has been studied and 18 samples were taken from 14 individuals for oxygen-isotope analysis.  The oxygen-isotope data will give some indication of the inter-regional movements of the site's inhabitants.

Janet Montoya (ASU), The Changing Faces of Cerro Portezuelo.

Figurine styles ranging from the Preclassic to the Postclassic periods were identified among the approximately 600 fragments recovered during the excavations at Cerro Portezuelo in the 1950s. As a result of recent investigations presented in this session, the figurines can now be associated with ceramics and other artifacts recovered during the excavations. Re-examination of the figurine collection in light of this new data not only provides insight into Cerro Portezuelo and its relationship with Teotihuacan , Tula , and the Aztec empire throughout its long period of occupation but also enhances our understanding of figurine chronology in the Basin of Mexico .

Martin Biskowski (Cal State Sacramento) and Karen Watson (Cal State Sacramento) Changing Approaches to Maize Preparation at Portezuelo.

Changes in grinding tools reflect a combination of household, community, and regional concerns. Portezuelo’s shift from a Teotihuacan center to a major independent Epiclassic/Postclassic town to an abandoned Late Postclassic settlement affected the intensification of maize preparation, craft specialization, and regional economic integration. This paper examines the results of artifact attribute and distributional analyses of grinding tools from Portezuelo and explores what this evidence reveals about the changing socioeconomic organization of this center.

Michael Glascock (Missouri) and William J. Parry (Hunter), Obsidian from Cerro Portezuelo: Sourcing Artifacts from a Long-Duration Site.

Questions about the relationship of Cerro Portezuelo to Teotihuacan during the Classic Period and the degree of continuity or change in material culture during the transition period and following the decline of Teotihuacan were addressed by using NAA and XRF to source a collection of obsidian artifacts.  The sourcing results are being used to examine changes in the patterns of obsidian source exploitation in the Basin of Mexico and to explain broader political and economic developments during the Classic and Postclassic Periods.

Wendy Teeter (UCLA), A Look at Cerro Portezuelo Faunal Remains and Worked Bone within Central Mexico .

A preliminary look at the faunal remains from Cerro Portezuelo reveals a varied and lasting source of commensal and wild meat.  Environmental reconstruction can be teased out by the types of animals seen as well as possible relationships between the city and nearby settlements, including Teotihuacán. An interesting array of worked bone artifacts includes weaving tools, personal adornment, and musical instruments will also be discussed.

Destiny Crider (ASU), Epiclassic and Early Postclassic Pottery Complexes at Cerro Portezuelo

I examine influences on Cerro Portezuelo pottery complexes as a proxy for regional interaction. Pottery is assessed as to stylistic similarity with regional Coyotlatelco, Mazapan/Tollan, Aztec I and Chalco-Cholula Polychromes.  Comparison of Cerro Portezuelo pottery with neighboring areas suggests an Epiclassic to Early Postclassic shift from southern to northern influences.  The Epiclassic decorated pottery shares characteristics with the southern Chalco area; whereas the Early Postclassic decorated pottery has strong connections with northern complexes at Teotihuacan and Tula .  This suggests that Epiclassic patterns of interaction within the Basin were altered by the emergent Early Postclassic Tula state.

Christopher Garraty (Statistical Research, Inc.), Deborah Nichols ( Dartmouth ), Hector Neff (CSU-Long Beach), Postclassic and Early Colonial Pottery Exchange in Cerro Portezuelo , Mexico

Instrumental neutron activation analyses of ca. 200 Middle and Late Postclassic and Early Colonial period decorated and plainware sherds highlight diachronic changes in patterns of pottery exchange at Cerro Portezuelo prior to and during the Aztec empire and during the first century of Spanish colonial rule. Our interpretations focus on the shifting economic and political relationships between Cerro Portezuelo and other regions and polities in the Basin of Mexico , especially the major political and market centers, such as Middle Postclassic Culhuacan, Late Postclassic Tenochtitlan and Texcoco, and post-conquest Mexico City .

Deborah Nichols (Dartmouth), Hector Neff (CSU-Long Beach), Destiny Crider (ASU), Cerro Portezuelo and the Development of Postclassic City-States in the Eastern Basin of Mexico .

George Brainerd directed excavations at Cerro Portezuelo in the mid-1950s to understand the Classic to Postclassic transition and the questions he asked are still salient. In the wake of Teotihuacan ’s collapse, Cerro Portezuelo became one of the largest city-state centers in the Basin during the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic. The subsequent Aztec occupation io the Middle and Late Postclassic was more substantial than previously recognized, although Cerro Portezuelo became a subject of the Acolhua at Texcoco and subsequently of the Aztec empire. We discuss INAA data of ceramics from Cerro Portezuelo for a longitudinal perspective on these developments.

Jeffrey R. Parsons (Michigan), Discussant.