Intercambiar en Mesoamérica durante el Epiclásico (600 a 900 d.C.): poder, prestigio y alteridad. Un análisis de la cultura material de Puebla-Tlaxcala y Morelos (México)

Ucanal Stela 29 and the Cosmopolitanism of Terminal Classic Maya Stone Monuments

“…More recent archaeological research at the site by the Proyecto Arqueológico Ucanal (PAU; 2014, 2016-2019) directed by Christina Halperin and Jose Luis Garrido has revealed that the site of Ucanal was much more urban than previously considered: it has a core zone of at least 7.5 km 2 of continuous settlement and a wider periphery that extends at least to a zone of 26 km 2 (Halperin and Garrido 2019;Halperin and Garrido, ed. 2016, 2020. Excavations in the residential and monumental zones of the city confirm earlier findings by the Proyecto Atlas that the site was most heavily occupied during the Late Classic and Terminal Classic periods, with its population either remaining stable or increasing slightly during the Terminal Classic period.…”

“…AD 550–600), political centers such as Cacaxtla-Xochitécatl, Xochicalco, Tula, El Tajin, Cerro de las Mesas, and Chichen Itza flourished but did not draw inspiration from a single, dominant power. Rather, they were influenced by, shared ritual practices with, and combined visual repertoires from multiple distant regions that merged local senses of identity within a larger cultural world (Brittenham 2015; Carter 2014; Kowalski and Kristan-Graham 2011; Nagao 1989; Testard 2018). As such, many recent formulations of Epiclassic (ca.…”

Mazapan-Style Figurines at El Palacio and Their Significance for Early Postclassic Regional Interactions in Northern Michoacan

“…Although produced locally, using local materials, and exhibiting their own iconographic combination of characteristics, the Mazapan-style figurines from El Palacio seem to be part of a “ceremonial subcomplex” integrating the Early Postclassic Highland Network (Jiménez Betts 2018:168–169, 175–180, 194–195), a local expression of a shared and wider Postclassic international style. As previously observed for the Coyotlatelco/Epiclassic phenomena in central Mexico (Testard 2014, 2018), the emulation of local elites involved in prestige-good circulation would have resulted in the production of local “packages” composed of hybrid and recomposed recognized and iconic goods. While driving or stimulating the production of this material culture, the local elite of El Palacio would have then integrated into a broader prestigious network, the contours of which are still being defined, but with two major poles: the west Pacific Coast and the central highlands.…”

“…First, the analyses of the technological and iconographic characteristics as well as the context of discovery of the collection of Mazapan-style figurines at El Palacio allow us to provide new insights into the interpretation of these artifacts for the Early Postclassic period. We examine their production based on manufacture process (material, technique, and iconography), which enable us to discuss their nature in a cultural interaction perspective (e.g., adaptation, copy, and import, as suggested by Testard [2014, 2018]). Then, we discuss their possible functions and context of use, i.e., some aspects of their social lives (Appadurai 1986; Overholtzer and Stoner 2011).…”

“…By questioning the nature of these figurines and categorizing them as adaptations, copies, or imports, we might be able to approach the manipulative processes involved in their production, as well as the different intentionalities of an individual or a group. Once the category has been defined, it can be correlated with a specific anthropological phenomenon of cultural interaction (e.g., indirect diffusion, occasional contact, itinerant craftsmen, religious mission, among others; Testard 2014:76–86, 2018). The analysis and characterization of these artifacts in the peculiar context of El Palacio can support hypotheses about its place within the Postclassic world.…”