Las Bocas, Puebla, Archaeological Project

Archaeological Materials

Ceramics

The 2000 Field Season came to an end on June 17 of this year, only four months ago, so we are still in the process of analyzing the ceramics and other materials recovered.

With the purpose of making an approximate evaluation of the ceramic types recovered, their chronology and archaeological context, we have selected the ceramic materials of the A squares of the Unit corresponding to pits III and IV excavated in 1998 to initiate the ceramic analysis. The reason for selecting these sections from Unit 1 is that the zone had been partially excavated during the previous season, and the ceramic materials recovered have already been analyzed and recorded, allowing us to have an approximation of the site’s chronology.

The presence of Classic and Postclassic ceramics is minimal in the excavations, as in 1994 the grounds of the archaeological site were removed with heavy machinery and the occupations corresponding to these periods were almost completely destroyed. When we carried out the surface reconnaissance these objects were obviously more abundant, as they were mixed in the ground with other ceramic fragments of the Formative Period that looters had left behind as garbage at the edge of the illegal excavations. They were also recovered in the town area of San José Las Bocas, suggesting that is where the settlements corresponding to the Classic and Posclassic periods are located, now covered by modern buildings.

Overall, the Formative ceramic materials explored in 1998 and 2000 are mostly similar to the ceramic types I identified when I had the opportunity to revise the collections attributed to Las Bocas, presently a part of the cultural collections of different museums abroad, like the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Primitive Art in New York, and particularly those exhibited at the exhibition "Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico", presented by the National Gallery of Art, Washington (Benson and De la Fuente). And of course, those excavated during the 1998 season.

System of Analysis

Given the characteristics of the materials and considering the previous typology of the site, tentatively established based on the analysis of ceramic materials excavated in 1998, groups of association were formed, that is to say, groups that shared minimum specific attributes applying the same classification criteria previously established (Paillés et al., 1997; Paillés, 1999).

We first established the outer and inner color identifications, in other words, the black, orange, gray, white, brown, red, etc., ceramic groups.

The next attribute was the tentative separation of different macroscopically apparent paste types, with the differentiation, whenever possible, of the type of temper used, yielding a division of fine pastes with and without temper, porous pastes and compact pastes.

The third most important attribute was the form of the vessel: bowl, cajete, plate, jar, vase, etc.

Finally, we considered the type of decoration that the material exhibited, which could be incised, scraped, Sgraffito (Sgraffiare), carved, with painting, with appliqué.

Whenever we had the chance to make identifications with ceramic materials, both from sites nearby the study area and chronologically contemporary, we decided to assign the same previously established denomination.

Features for the ceramic description

Paste
It refers to the color, type of temper used, texture, and general degree of firing, specifying the thickness of the walls and the dimensions of the piece, taking as a point of reference the upper portion of the rim.

Finish
The presence of coatings, slips, paintings, and surface treatments, in case they were smoothed, polished and/or burnished.

Decoration
Determination of type of decoration technique: incised, incised post fire, raked, appliqué, dotted, textile imprint, modeled, with differential firing, etc., specifying the decoration motif whenever it was possible to clearly identify it in the paste.

Form
The characteristic forms and the variants thereof are described for each ceramic group, while the type of rim, silhouette, background, base and supports, is also recorded.

Chronology
Their chronological situation and percentage present.

External Relations
The comparative study of the ceramic group to other ceramics originating from synchronic or asynchronic sites or areas with those from the site of Caballo Pintado-Las Bocas.

Work Process
Analysis of the ceramic material was accomplished by separately considering each one of the squares from excavation Unit 1.  Once analysis of all the ceramic materials is completed, we shall proceed with diagramming and recording the ceramic types by periods of occupation in the overall site.

Known Types
One factor that facilitated the analysis of the ceramics excavated in 1998 and 2000, has been the typological identification of materials collected in 1997.  Of course, once the analysis of materials is completed in full, in the case of unidentified materials from other archaeological localities contemporary to Las Bocas-Caballo Pintado, we shall proceed to give them a name. Our classification is based mainly on the ceramic typology established by Niederberger (1976; 1987) for the site of Zohapilco-Tlapacoya in the Basin of Mexico and its chronology.

Formative Period: Ayotla Phase (1250 - 1000 B.C.) and Manantial Phase (1000 - 800 B.C.)

Orange Ayotla  (Ayotla Naranja)
Smoothed Chalco  (Chalco Alisado)
White Pilli  (Pilli Blanco)
Red/Copper Pilli  (Pilli Rojo/Bayo)
Red/White Pilli  (Pilli Rojo/Blanco)
Polished Tortuga  (Tortuga Pulido)
Thick Wall Tunal  (Tunal Pared Gruesa)
Negative Rim Valle  (Valle Borde Negativo)
Polished Volcán  (Volcán Pulido)
White Cesto  (Cesto Blanco)

Granular Paste Ceramics
This is a very abundant ceramic type in all occupational periods of this archaeological site; it was profusely collected in 1997 (Paillés, op. cit.), and was recovered from all levels of the different excavation units from 1998, and also in the extensive excavations of 2000.

In broad outlines, it may be described as follows: this is a ceramic type characterized by a paste with a grain temper from some type of ground metamorphic rock, which in plain sight is visible on the fragmented rims of vessels and which protrudes from smoothed surfaces, with a variable density. The paste is coarse, regularly fired and with a color that varies from Brown 2.5 YR 4-5/6 to Reddish 5 YR 6/6, while sherds occasionally present a dark grey core.

The outer surfaces are smoothed, though pots show a rugose interior; occasionally, the trace of fingers can be appreciated. They may or may not have a slip, and orange and pink tones dominate, although light brown to reddish are also found. Since it was used as domestic pottery, many sherds show traces of burning.

A common form of the vessels is the cajete with curved and convergent walls, and the hemispherical vessels with composite silhouette and rounded rims. The predominant form is represented by large pots, many of which have a flat base, with walls that vary in thickness from .4 mm to .6 mm, to .9 mm and to 1.4 mm; they have a curved, diverging neck, very divergent with rounded rims in some cases, and diameters that vary from 16 cm to 44 cm.

Although I did not have the opportunity to check for myself the ceramic type known as Del Prado Rosa, explored at Chalcatzingo, Morelos, Cyphers’ description (1992: 46-47) matches our Granular Paste ceramic, as it has tentatively been denominated, while the author states: … "The petrographic comparison with similar sherds from Las Bocas, Puebla, indicates a strong similarity, and it should be noted that that place is located near a metamorphic terrain that could be the source of such minerals" … "The strongest resemblance is observed between Del Prado Rosa and the nearly identical ceramics from Las Bocas, Puebla. The forms and pastes seem to be almost identical…"

At Chalcatzingo, the type Del Prado Rosa is found in the Late Amate, 1250 - 1100 B.C. and Early Barranca, 1100 - 1000 B.C. sub-phases, while the Granular Paste type from Las Bocas-Caballo Pintado is abundantly found in all occupational levels. In the case of those ceramic types that lasted throughout all occupation phases, it is important to observe how they changed, mainly the vessel forms, a criterion of analysis I am applying with the present materials, while I hope to have the necessary resources to carry out the petrographic analysis, to later compare them with Chalcatzingo’s.

This type of Granular Paste Ceramic is also frequent in the Middle Formative sites from the basin of the Balsas River explored by Manzanilla López (1996). According to the author, these communities were related through a very wide exchange network that connected sites such as Tlapacoya, Chalcatzingo, Teopantecuanitlán, Huituzco, Oxtotitlán and other sites from Guerrero, to continue in the direction of Puebla with Las Bocas, to finally reach the Olmec nuclear area in Veracruz. The ceramics with granular paste are called by the author Granular Amacuzac Type and Granular White, and they are assigned to the Manantial phase between 1000 and 800 B.C. (op. cit., 59, 60, 62, 88; figs. 28 and 29).

In general, the Formative types from Las Bocas-Caballo Pintado are consistent with the Ayotla (1250 - 1000 B.C.) and Manantial (1000 - 800 B.C.) phases of the typology established by Niederberger (1976; 1987), who in spite of not having had carried out extensive excavations in Tlapacoya-Zohapilco, has established an outstanding chronological sequence for this lakeside site, with the support of many experts from the Prehistory Department of INAH (no longer in existence), besides creating a good comparative system of its materials with others from museums and collections.

Figurines
According to the figurines typology, mainly of the D1, D2, and D4 type (Photo 28, shown below), there is an occupation related to the Manantial phase, from 1000 to 800 B.C. (Niederberger, 1980) which begins in Floor 1 at a depth of .40 cm to 60 cm, and continues to Floor 2 at average 1.20 m.  Interestingly, during the 1998 excavations I explored pits III and IV, which correspond to the A1 square of our grid, to Floor 1 where a number of postholes appeared, while at the edge of the one showing the largest diameter the leg of a figurine of the D3 type was found; to the NE, more fragmentary figurines were recorded (Paillés, 1999).

Click on image to enlarge

As to the "baby-face" type figurines, some hollow type limb fragments were excavated at metric level 9 (1.60 - 1.80 m) from square A1, at metric level 16 (3.00 - 3.20 m) of the F-4 square below the platform, and in association with Burial 2.  To the hollow "baby-face" type Pilli Sans Pupilles (Niederberger, op. cit.), Ayotla phase, 1250 to 1000 B.C.

Click on image to enlarge

Figurine fragments were also found, little heads of the solid "baby-face" type, similar to the hollow figurines illustrated by Coe (1992: 44-45) from the Olmec site of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Veracruz, dating to the Early Formative, 1200 B.C.  According to the research of physical anthropologist Josefina Bautista (personal communication, 2000), who is presently conducting a comparative analysis between the bone remains from the collections of the Office of Physical Anthropology, INAH, and the collections of figurines from the archaeological collection of the National Museum of Anthropology, the type of cranial deformation present in one of the "baby-face" solid figurines from Las Bocas-Caballo Pintado (Photo 29, shown above) is identical to the one present in the Olmec skull of Pajón (Photo 30, shown below), which corresponds to an individual of approximately 12 years of age, explored at the site of Pampa el Pajón in coastal Chiapas, in Olmec contexts of the Cuadros and Jocotal phases (Paillés, 1980).

Click on image to enlarge

It is important to mention that the fragments of the hollow "baby-face" type figurines were excavated in levels below Floor 2.  According to the initial analysis of the ceramic materials and the figurines, the occupation corresponding to the Manantial phase, 1000 to 800 B.C., begins at the level of Floor 1 and ends in Floor 2; however, the analysis of charcoal samples and obsidian hydration is required, to more accurately establish the site’s chronologic sequence.

Stamps
Two cylindrical stamps were excavated from squares A3 and B2, at metric level 6 from 1.00 to 1.20 m in Floor 2.  The fragment explored in A3 corresponds to the Hollow Cylinder type and shows traces of a red pigment, while the one excavated in B2 corresponds to the Rolling Pin type, with handles. They are modeled with clay with a geometrical decoration consisting of deep incisions similar to those illustrated by Field (1967: 4; 33, fig. 34). This author analyzed an abundant collection of stamps attributed to Las Bocas, though their provenience is not certain because they came from non-controlled excavations. On the other hand, Niederberger (1976: 240, plate LXXXIX) illustrates similar stamps from Zohapilco-Tlapacoya, which date to the Ayotla-Manantial occupational phases.

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