Tarascan Copper Metallurgy at the Site of Itziparátzico, Michoacán, México

Comments

Although small in scale, the Proyecto Santa Clara 2004 proved successful in wholly or partially resolving some of the most outstanding archaeological issues of the archaeological site of Itziparátzico. The results have allowed us to determine that the production activities carried out at the site involved mainly primary smelting. Possibly, copper ingots were being produced at Itziparátzico and then transported elsewhere for their final processing into objects. The technology employed in the smelting process, as mentioned before, involved an efficient, highly-reductive environment. These results, while enlightening, raise a major issue regarding the chronological and cultural context for this primary production. If Late Postclassic, the smelting activities that took place around the site may have been carried out in Prehispanic wind-powered furnaces. However, if such activities involved the use of bellows, we may well be dealing with a relatively early post-Contact production area, this considering their association with unquestionably Tarascan cultural assemblages. Only further research in the area can provide sufficient data to address this question and those related to issues about the domestic versus non-domestic nature of the production and the size and layout of the production areas. Regardless the specific technological affiliation, this information will be crucial to the study of Tarascan and Mesoamerican metallurgy.

The results of this project have provided the basis for comparing archaeological evidence for metallurgical production with descriptions of Prehispanic metallurgy and metallurgical production found in ethnohistoric sources. It also provided us with a firm foundation of experience on which to base any future research in the region. Due to the small size of the site, it is believed that there would have been other similar smelting workshops in the area. This idea seems consistent with what is mentioned in Spanish accounts, however, a search for ethnohistorical data on the region is also critical. Only close scrutiny of the original sources will help us to positively identify Itziparátzico and the surrounding villages within their physical and political context. Additionally, this archival research can be used for establishing the status of these communities within the Tarascan domain at the time of Contact and determining their role as metal producers in the economic organization of the state. Experimental archaeology represents another potential source of information. For instance, Quiroga’s assertion that the reason for the location of this smelting area was fundamentally economic, could be evaluated in the future through archaeological experimentation, by replicating the technology and smelting methods used by the Prehispanic smelters.

In summary, the project described above represents a valuable initial step in approaching issues of copper production in the region. Nevertheless, further archaeological, ethnohistorical, and experimental work is essential to our understanding of metallurgy at the site and at region level, as well as at the matter of its association with the Tarascan culture of ancient Michoacán. The combination of these data will also give us clues about why this technology developed as it did in Western México.

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