Under the direction of Elizabeth M. Brumfiel, Kristin De Lucia will examine household production and consumption during the growth of a Postclassic regional center at the site of Xaltocan, Mexico. This research focuses on households in Early Postclassic (AD 900 - 1150) Xaltocan to discover how commoners participated in market exchange, in order to better understand the relationship between ordinary people and the development of broader economies. While models of development frequently focus on elite exchange and luxury crafts, the proposed research instead examines household production and consumption of ordinary goods during the initial stages of market development in the Basin of Mexico. This research tests the hypothesis that economic development in Xaltocan depended upon part-time household production of such goods and commoner demand for both utilitarian and socially valued commodities. In particular, this research predicts that households in Xaltocan exploited lacustrine resources to participate in regional exchange systems. As the desire to consume imported goods increased, commoners intensified lake extraction activities to afford greater access to market exchange. Ultimately, this research seeks to highlight the household as a fundamental component of economic and social development in Early Postclassic Mexico. Xaltocan was a man-made island situated in the northern lake system in the Valley of Mexico. When Xaltocan was founded it was a modest settlement. However, by the end of the Early Postclassic period, Xaltocan grew to become a regional center, playing a primary role in regional exchange and organization. Xaltocan is one of few remaining Early Postclassic sites from the northern Valley; thus, a diachronic study of household change from the Early to Middle Postclassic at Xaltocan offers a rare opportunity to investigate domestic and regional-level interactions during the emergence of a powerful political center. De Lucia will conduct full-scale household excavations of a patio group, integrating multiple lines of evidence, including macro- and micro-artifacts, soil chemistry, microwear analysis, ethnobotanical and ethnozoological remains, and architecture. Patterning among these data will identify the production and consumption of food products that are often overlooked in household contexts. In addition, De Lucia will examine ceramic variability from multiple households and contexts. By integrating data on the functional, contextual, and aesthetic characteristics of ceramics, this project will offer new insight into the motivations, social concerns, and practical needs that influenced household consumption decisions. For its broader impacts, the proposed research will serve as an important educational resource for the Xaltocan community. Tours of excavations are organized for children and adults. Local community members participate in excavations and Mexican archaeologists will work with the project to supervise excavations. All archaeological collections remain in Xaltocan and may become incorporated into the local museum; thus, future students and archaeologists will be able to access the collections for study. Lastly, the results of the proposed research will be published as a dissertation, released as journal articles, and presented at professional meetings to disseminate research findings to the academic community.
