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Compositional Perspectives on the Exchange of Muna Slate Wares in the Late and Terminal Classic Northern Maya Lowlands

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University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Master's Theses Graduate School 2002 COMPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE EXCHANGE OF MUNA SLATE WARES IN THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS Christopher M. Gunn University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Gunn, Christopher M., "COMPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE EXCHANGE OF MUNA SLATE WARES IN THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS" (2002). University of Kentucky Master's Theses. 188. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/188 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF THESIS COMPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE EXCHANGE OF MUNA SLATE WARES IN THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS This thesis presents the results of petrographic point counting analyses of Muna Slate ware, the predominant slipped ceramic ware in the Northern Maya Lowlands during the Late and Terminal Classic Periods (600-1000 A.D.) of Maya prehistory. Recently, it was hypothesized that Muna Slate wares were centrally produced and distributed from the Puuc Hills site of Sayil (Smyth and Dore 1994; Smyth et al. 1995). Given that Muna Slate wares may be considered utilitarian subsistence items (sensu Brumfiel and Earle 1987), this suggestion runs counter to several arguments that ancient Maya utilitarian ceramics production is associated with outlying communities and that their distribution is localized. In the research presented here, the model of Muna Slate ware production presented for Sayil is evaluated in terms of ceramic ecology, economic theory and models of craft distribution, the culture-historical context of Muna Slate ware use, and previous studies of ceramic production and distribution in the Maya Lowlands. Muna Slate wares from three sites in the northern Lowlands - Kiuic, Labná, and Ek Balam – were then analyzed in order to test the whether or not Sayil was the sole producer of these ceramics. KEYWORDS: Muna Slate Ware, Puuc Region, Petrographic Analysis, Ceramic Ecology, Maya Archaeology ___Christopher M. Gunn______________ ___December 20, 2002________________ Copyright 2002, Christopher Michael Gunn COMPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE EXCHANGE OF MUNA SLATE WARES IN THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS By Christopher Michael Gunn __ Dr. Christopher A, Pool_____________ Director of Thesis ___Dr. Mary K. Anglin________________ Director of Graduate Studies ______December 20, 2002_____________ RULES FOR THE USE OF THESES Unpublished theses submitted for the Master’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgement. Extensive copying or publication of the thesis in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. THESIS Christopher Michael Gunn The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2002 COMPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE EXCHANGE OF MUNA SLATE WARES IN THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS ____________________________________ THESIS ____________________________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Christopher Michael Gunn Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2002 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has benefited greatly from the thorough readings and thoughtful comments from my committee members. In the Department of Anthropology, my committee Chair, Dr. Christopher A. Pool, read several drafts of this work, and skillfully guided its progress with his ceramic expertise and encouragement. Dr. Tom D. Dillehay and Dr. Richard W. Jefferies provided instructive observations and suggestions from a more general perspective that helped me see find the strongest points in the chapters and to focus on them. Dr. David P. Moecher, Department of Geological Sciences, also contributed his expertise in mineralogy to this thesis as well as providing me with access to the microscopes and other equipment used during the analysis. Without the input and patience of my committee, this thesis would not have reached the form that it takes now. Likewise, this thesis may have not been written at all without the influence of Dr. George J. Bey, III, who encouraged my interest in archaeology and ceramics while serving as my undergraduate advisor at Millsaps College. He, Dr. William Ringle (Davidson College), and Tomás Gallareta Negrón (INAH-CRY), the directors of the Labná-Kiuic Regional Archaeological Project, were gracious enough to invite me to serve as the project’s ceramicist, and it is through this project that I gained access to the slatewares from Ek Balam, Labná, and Kiuic examined here. George generously provided slateware thin sections from Ek Balam, and arranged for my use of the Geology Lab at Millsaps College to prepare some of the thin sections from Kiuic. In this regard, I also must thank Dr. Stan Galicki for his advice and assistance in thin section preparation. Tomás Gallareta graciously provided me with samples of ceramics from Labná. These ceramics were drawn from the ceramoteca collections at the Mérida offices of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Sylviane Boucher always made my visits to the ceramoteca a pleasure. While in the field and back in the country, George, Bill, and Tomás have provided me with assistance and advice, without which I could not have completed this work. Their patience as I worked on drafts of this thesis in the field last summer is much appreciated. Both directly and indirectly, Rossana May Ciau, Ramón Carrillo Sánchez, and Julieta Ramos Pacheco, three Mexican archaeologists who also work on the Labná-Kiuic project, helped this thesis along. At various times, they have helped me with everything from faxes and meetings at INAH to transportation and help in the ceramics lab. But perhaps greater than all of these is their companionship and good spirits that they gave me when I needed them most. The cochinita tortas also helped (Thanks Rossana!). My fellow graduate students at the University of Kentucky were also a source of support and encouragement during the preparation of my thesis. I would especially like to thank Wes Stoner for his willingness to discuss my ideas with me while I was still working out the details of my methods and arguments. Finally, I would also like to thank my family for their love and continuing support. They have always given me the freedom and encouragement to explore new fields, although I’m sure that they never thought I would become an archaeologist. Their support carried me through the worst of it. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: CERAMIC PRODUCTION AND THE ANCIENT MAYA .................................1 CHAPTER 2: ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES ON CERAMIC PRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................6 Ceramic Ecology and the Study of Ceramic Production ...........................................................6 Raw Materials .........................................................................................................................9 Clays and Tempers ...............................................................................................................9 Fuels...................................................................................................................................11 Summary............................................................................................................................11 Specialized Craft Production and Finance Systems ................................................................12 Models of Craft Distribution Systems ....................................................................................14 Summary ...............................................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 3: THE LATE AND TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIODS IN THE NORTHERN LOWLANDS............................................................................................................................18 Early Models .........................................................................................................................18 Revisions of Early Models.....................................................................................................20 The Classic Maya Collapse.................................................................................................20 The Ceramic Sequence .......................................................................................................21 Late and Terminal Classic Polity in the Northern Yucatan .....................................................22 Ek Balam............................................................................................................................24 The Puuc
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