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Craft Production, Household Diversification, and Domestic Economy in Prehispanic Mesoamerica

The Elusive Maya Marketplace: An Archaeological Consideration of the Evidence

“…Dahlin's (2003) excavation and regional survey strategy used for the investigation at Chunchucmil in the Yucatan offers an excellent model of this multifaceted strategy, but many more examples will be needed before archaeologists can better model producer-to-consumer relationships. This is an exciting time to redirect focus on the household as both producer and consumer, particularly when using the theoretical modeling of ritual economies that consider human decision-making beyond strict economic efficiency (Hirth 2009a;Wells 2006;Wells and Davis-Salazar 2007). As Kovacevich (2007, p. 74) has suggested, even with elites controlling some production and exchange, ''the implication is that ancient Maya ritual economy stimulated craft production in the domestic economy, thereby creating opportunities for non-elites to gain honor, prestige, status, and possibly economic benefit.…”

“…Recent reviews of the theoretical literature on Maya economies have highlighted the vigorous debates over the complexity of Maya production and the degree to which elites controlled exchange systems (e.g., Chase 1992, 1996;Fox et al 1996;Garraty 2010;Hirth 1996Hirth , 1998Isaac 1996;King in press;Masson 2002a;McAnany 2010;Rice 1987Rice , 2010Smith 2004;Smith and Schreiber 2005), and studies of interregional and regional trade have offered a broad view of how goods moved across the landscape, especially goods derived from geographically restricted raw materials such as jade or obsidian (e.g., Braswell and Glascock 2003;Hirth 1992;Kepecs and Kohl 2003;Spence 1996). The analysis of craft specialization also has exposed a great amount of variation in how raw materials were procured or how production was organized (e.g., Clark 1995;Costin 2001;Hirth 2009a;Inomata 2001;King and Potter 1994;Patterson 2005;Widmer 2009). In most of these models, however, the mechanisms by which goods were transferred from producer to consumer in Maya economies remain poorly defined; human behavior and decision-making are absent.…”

Ancient Maya Commerce : Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

“…In terms of production, the data show a nuanced domestic economy typical of what Hirth (2009a) has called "multi-crafting." Shell-working, gardening, intensive grinding, and intensive processing of organic materials may have positioned the Kaab' group to take advantage of local markets, while also making the group economically resilient.…”

New Production Units: Nontraditional Potters

“…46 In the introductory articles in the volume, Hirth 47 invites readers to reevaluate production intensity in ways that render the part-time/full-time distinction irrelevant. Rather than focus on the relative amount of time that an individual puts into craft production, Hirth shifts the focus instead to the household, a theme of the recently published book edited by Conlin and Douglas.…”