A regional analysis of Toltec ceramics, Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico
This is a study of the Tollan ceramic complex found in the Tula region during the Tollan phase (A.D. 950-1200). The Tula region consists of the urban center of Tula and at least a 1000 sq. km hinterland or rural zone; it is located in sw Hidalgo, Mexico. During the Tollan phase, Tula was the capital of one of the most powerful polities in Mesoamerica. Ceramics were collected and analyzed from three localities within the urban zone, nine rural sites within the Tula region, and one site located at what may have been the northern limit of Tula's influence The study analyzes the distribution and frequency of Tollan complex types, and modal variation between and within these types, in the urban and rural zones. The goal of this analysis is to define frequency and modal patterning that reflects the various activities and processes involved in the production, distribution and use of Tollan complex ceramics, in order to begin constructing a model of the Tollan phase ceramic marketing system The results suggest that, during the Early Postclassic, the Tula region was economically linked by a regional ceramic marketing system. The study finds support for the idea that the regional marketing system consisted of a number of markets located in the urban and rural zones, similar perhaps to the regional and local markets found in present-day Mesoamerica. Evidence also supports the idea that production was probably largely done by craft specialists organized at the household level, though perhaps forming larger production centers comprising a number of households. Although the ceramic complex distributed in the two zones suggests a complex, interdependent regional system, differences exist that are thought to indicate ways in which the marketing system varied between zones This type of comparative analysis, using typological and modal data in a complementary fashion, is believed to be a useful approach for the study of ceramic marketing systems in pre-industrial states