In this collaborative project Drs. Deborah Nichols and Thomas Charlton will analyze archaeological materials collected at the Aztec site of Otumba which is located in the Basin of Mexico. The Aztec empire, known both through archaeology and historic description, had become by 1519 AD the largest state in the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the Basin of Mexico, the state's geographic core, was one of the most urbanized areas in the world. In addition to the imperial capital at Tenochititian the empire was administered and controlled through a number of regional centers such as Otumba and how these smaller cities functioned and were integrated with both rural hinterlands on the one hand and the capital on the other, is not well understood. In past NSF supported research the investigators have conducted extensive survey and excavation at Otumba and have mapped the distribution of numerous cultural materials across the site. They have also produced a general chronology for the city. The results show that manufacturing activities are not randomly or evenly distributed across space and this suggests a form of centralized control. In the present project, the team will conduct a careful analysis of material remains to determine the sources of raw materials and to trace their flow across space. They believe, as do many anthropologists that in empires such as the Aztecs production and distribution were centrally administered and that this control helped to solidify elite power and solidify the state. To examine this proposition, the team will: 1. obtain accurate dates for the development of craft specialization and Otumba's growth as a center through radiocarbon analysis; 2. clarify manufacturing and distribution patterns of various commodities, including items locally produced and some probably imported, through neutron activation analysis of trace elements to match artifacts with their raw material sources or source areas. Neutron activation analysis will be applied to obsidians (volcanic glass used to make tools), basalt, and the clays employed to make pots as well as figurines, censers and spindle whorls. The Aztec empire covered a significant part of Mexico and integrated large numbers of people into a single political system. With a simple technology and lack of horses or other domestic animals for transportation it is difficult to understand how such an entity could be formed and maintained for hundreds of years. This project will shed light on the economic organization of the empire and the role which control over production and distribution played in the emergence and sustenance of this early state.
