Stone Tools and the Elite Political Economy at Epiclassic (A.D. 650-900) Xochicalco

Introduction

The objective of this project was to analyze the flaked stone artifacts recovered in the elite zone of Xochicalco (Figure 1, shown above) by the Proyecto Especial Xochicalco ¹  (González Crespo and Garza Tarazona 1995). This analysis was structured around three questions: (1) were stone tools produced in elite contexts, and if so, (2) what kind of items were produced and (3) what does this tell us about the structure of Xochicalco’s stone tool craft economy? The assemblage indicates that there is little evidence of stone tool production in the elite zone. In tandem with earlier research (Hirth 1998, 2002; Hirth et al. 2000), these findings imply that Xochicalco’s stone tool craft economy was primarily oriented towards the production of utilitarian implements in commoner domestic workshops. It is probable that the elites provisioned themselves with such items via the market or tribute, or both. Furthermore, this analysis supports the interpretation of obsidian scarcity at Xochicalco (Hirth 2000). The following discussion describes the elite assemblage and then reviews what it indicates about life at Epiclassic Xochicalco.

Endnote

1. The Proyecto Especial Xochicalco directed by Norberto González was carried out in 1993 and 1994.

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