AN APPROACH TO CERAMIC PRODUCTION IN YAXCHILAN DURING THE LATE CLASSIC TROUGH TWO CASE STUDIES

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of pottery production in the Maya Lowlands during the Late Classic (600-900 AD) from the perspective of Yaxchilán.  A sample of complete vessels from the site's elitist funerary contexts evaluated whether the vessels that supplied the ruling elite were produced in specialized workshops attached to the palace or in those of independent artisans who worked part-time.  Considering previous typological and paste studies to determine the material that shows a local production, modal analyses of shapes, measurements, and decorative motifs present in the vessels were carried out to determine the level of standardization and thus evaluate the degree of specialization in production.  In addition to the above, the study also addressed an additional attribute, the degree of use-wear that each specimen shows since this aspect allows obtaining information on its replacement cost.  The material has yielded data suggesting that the pottery consumed by the site's elite during that period was manufactured in part-time artisan workshops.