The Ethnoarchaeology of Salt Production in the Lake Cuitzeo Basin, Michoacán, México

Introduction

Common salt (i.e. sodium chloride) was a strategic resource for human subsistence in ancient Mesoamerica. Since at least the origins of agriculture, both in the Old and the New Worlds, salt was always among the most important elements of trade. In the pre-industrial world, salt had several important uses apart from its role in the diet, particularly as a preservative of animal flesh, as a mordent for fixing textile dyes, as a medium of exchange, and as a principal component in the preparation of soaps and cleansing agents (Parsons 1994: 280).

This study concerns salt production in Simirao and Araró, two towns located within the Lake Cuitzeo Basin, Michoacán, México (Figure 1). This report deals with the latest fieldwork season, carried out between February and June, 2003. This analysis follows an ethnoarchaeological perspective, which is based on the observations of present-day salt-making techniques and processes. The aim is to contribute data and insights that will assist in the interpretation of the archaeological record and to understand Prehispanic salt making.

The primary goals of this study are to document the technical processes and material culture associated with contemporary salt making in the study area, in particular the tools and features used by the saltmakers and their archaeological visibility; and to determine the importance of salt for the cultural development of the Lake Cuitzeo Basin in ancient times.

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