Mesoamerican Lithic Technology

by Kenneth Hirth

Overview

Any overview of prehispanic society in the Americas would identify its obsidian core-blade production as a unique and highly inventive technology. Normally termed prismatic blades, these long, parallel-sided flakes are among the sharpest cutting tools ever produced by humans. Their standardized form permitted interchangeable use, and such blades became the cutting tool of choice throughout Mesoamerica between 600-800 B.C. Because considerable production skill is required, increased demand may have stimulated the appearance of craft specialists who played an integral role in Mesoamerican society. Some investigators have argued that control over obsidian also had a significant effect on the development and organization of chiefdom and state-level societies.

While researchers have long recognized the potential of obsidian studies, recent work has focused primarily on compositional analysis to reconstruct trade and distribution networks. Study of blade production has received much less attention, and many aspects of this highly evolved craft are still lost.

This volume seeks to identify current research questions in Mesoamerican lithic technology and to demonstrate that replication studies coupled with experimental research design are valuable analytical approaches to such questions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874807653
Publisher:	University of Utah Press
Publication date:	11/20/2003
Edition description:	1st Edition
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

	List of Figures	vii
	List of Tables	xi
	Preface	xiii
1.	Experimentation and Interpretation in Mesoamerican Lithic Technology	3
2.	The Behavioral Model in Maya Core-Blade Technology: A Historical View	10
3.	A Review of Twentieth-Century Mesoamerican Obsidian Studies	15
4.	Blade-Making Techniques from the Old World: Insights and Applications to Mesoamerican Obsidian Lithic Technology	55
5.	Mexica Blade Making with Wooden Tools: Recent Experimental Insights	72
6.	Handheld Prismatic Blade Manufacture in Mesoamerica	98
7.	Pecked and Scored Initiations: Early Classic Core-Blade Production in the Central Maya Lowlands	108
8.	Measurable Flintknapping	120
9.	The Maya Eccentric: Evidence for the Use of the Indirect Percussion Technique in Mesoamerica from Preliminary Experiments Concerning Their Manufacture	132
10.	Alternative Techniques for Producing Mesoamerican-Style Pressure Flaking Patterns on Obsidian Bifaces	147
11.	From the Quarry Pit to the Trash Pit: Comparative Core-Blade Technology at Tula, Hidalgo, and the Ucareo Obsidian Source Region	153
12.	The Kaminaljuyu Production Sequence for Obsidian Prismatic Blades: Technological Characteristics and Research Questions	170
13.	The Xochicalco Production Sequence for Obsidian Prismatic Blades: Technological Analysis and Experimental Inferences	182
14.	Biface Production and Craft Specialization: A View from Sierra de las Navajas, Hidalgo	197
15.	Measuring Prehistoric Craftsman Skill: Contemplating Its Application to Mesoamerican Core-Blade Research	208
16.	Craftsmanship and Craft Specialization	220
17.	Experimentation and Interpretation in Mesoamerican Lithic Technology: A Look to the Future	234
Appendix A	Bibliography of Quarry Studies	239
Appendix B	Publication History of Major Journals	241
Appendix C	Bibliography of Dissertations and Theses	253
Appendix D	Combined Bibliography of Journal Samples, Dissertations, and Theses	263
Appendix E	Bibliography of Replication and Ethnographic Studies	271
Appendix F	Explanation of the Cases Documented in Table 16.2	273
	References	277
	List of Contributors	341
	Index	343

Editorial Reviews

"The work is notable for a number of exceptionally original contributions.... The overall contribution of the work, coupled with the extremely valuable bibliographic materials, make this a necessary purchase for anyone interested in Mesoamerica or lithic technology."
—Journal of the West 


 "Every few years a book appears that should be on your shelf. Mesoamerican Lithic Technology is one of them."
—Journal of Anthropological Research


"The work stands as a milestone, not only in the study of pressure-blade technology, but in several areas of the lithic technology and industries of Mesoamerica. It will have considerable importance for replicative experimenters and analysts elsewhere in the world." 
—Lithic Technology

From the Publisher