Ceramics and the Spanish Conquest

Gilda Hernández Sánchez is adjunct researcher at the Department of Archaeology, Leiden University. Her previous work focused on the analysis of pictographic decorations on ancient and present-day ceramic vessels found in Mexico. She has published in journals including Journal de la Société des Américanistes, Mexicon, and Latin American Antiquity.

• Table of contentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionCultural continuityA note on some terms usedOrganization of this workChapter 1.Archeology of ColonialismPost-colonial thinkingColonies, colonization and colonialismHybridity and hybridizationArcheology of colonialismThe archeology of colonialism in MesoamericaChapter 2. The Study of Material CultureThe study of material cultureChange in material cultureA method to study change in material cultureConservatism of pottersChange and continuity in pottery-makingSummaryChapter 3.Ceramic-Making before the ConquestSources to study late pre-colonial ceramicsOrganization of ceramic production(a) Clay preparation(b) Vessel forming(c) Vessel surface finishing(d) Firing(e) Decoration(f) Assembling vessel shapesThe impact of the Aztec empire on ceramic-makingCeramics as ritual objects and media of literacySummaryChapter 4. Ceramic-Making in Early Colonial TimesSources to study early colonial ceramicsOrganization of ceramic production(a) Clay preparation(b) Vessel forming(c) Vessel surface finishing(d) Firing(e) Decoration(f) Assembling a repertoire of vessel shapesThe impact of the Spanish ceramic technologyCeramics as indices of cultural affiliation in early colonial central MexicoEarly colonial ceramics in central MexicoChapter 5. Ceramic-Making at the PresentSources to study present-day ceramicsOrganization of ceramic production(a) Clay preparation(b) Vessel forming(c) Vessel surface finishing(d) Firing(e) Decoration(f) Assembling a repertoire of vessel shapesThe environmental impact of ceramic-makingImpact of institutional programmes topromote ceramic-makingPresent-day ceramics in central MexicoChapter 6. Ceramics, Cultural Continuity and Social ChangeThe development of ceramic-making during early colonial timesThe development of ceramic-making at the presentCeramics and cultural continuityThe role of material culture in the process of colonizationReactions of Mesoamerican potters to the colonizationThe perspectives of ceramic-making List of IllustrationsFigure 1.Fragments of late Aztec Black-on-Orange vessels from the valley of Mexico.Figure 2.Fragments of late pre-Hispanic Red Wares from the valley of Mexico.Figure 3.Fine polychrome vessel with pictographic decoration from a burial in Cholula (Suárez 1989) deposited at INAH Puebla (photo by Sergio Suárez).Figure 4.Patterns of decoration on early and late Aztec Black-on-Orange vessels from the valley of Mexico: (a) early Aztec tripod bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.2a) (b) early Aztec bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.3b) (c) early Aztec bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.3d) (d) early Aztec tripod plate (based on Minc et al. 1994: Fig. 6.4f) (e) early Aztec bowl (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 9) (f) early Aztec plate (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 14) (g) early Aztec plate (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.4k) (h) early Aztec plate (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 23) (i) early Aztec bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.6h) (j) early Aztec bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994: Fig. 6.5i) (k) early Aztec tripod bowl (based on Minc et al. 1994:Fig. 6.5k) (l) late Aztec tripod bowl (based on Cervantes and Fournier 1995:Fig. 2) (m) decoration pattern on late Aztec plate (based on Cervantes and Fournier 1995:Fig. 8) (n) late Aztec plate (based on Cervantes and Fournier 1995:Fig. 5) and (o) decoration pattern on late Aztec bowl (based on Cervantes and Fournier 1995:Fig. 9).Figure 5.Patterns of decoration on late pre-Hispanic Red Wares from the valley of Mexico: (a) early Aztec Black-on-Red bowl (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 15) (b, c) late Aztec Black-on-Red bowls (based on Charlton et al. 1995:Fig. 1) (d, e, f) late Aztec Black-on-Red bowls (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 61) (g, h, i) late Aztec Black-on-Red vessels (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 19) (j, k, l) late Aztec White-and-Black-on-Red bowls (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 62) (m) late Aztec White-on-Red bowl (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 39) (n, o) late Aztec White-and-Black-on-Red bowls (based on Cervantes et al. 2007:Fig. 43).Figure 6.Pictographic decoration on late pre-Hispanic fine polychrome vessels from Cholula: (a) goblet deposited at INAH-Puebla (b) censer deposited at Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (c) plate of frying-pan censer deposited at INAH-Puebla (d) goblet deposited at Universidad de las Américas-Puebla.Figure 7.Late pre-Hispanic vessel shapes in the valley of Mexico: (a, b, c) ollas (d) basin with upright walls (e) basin with flaring walls (f) comal (g.h, i) censers (j) pitcher (k) basin with upright walls (l, m) hemispherical bowls (n) bowl with upright walls (o) hemispherical bowl (p) bowl with upright walls (q) bowl with flaring walls (r) dish (s) tripod bowl with flaring walls (t) molcajete (u) bowl with upright walls (v, w) miniatures (x, y) goblets (z, aa, bb, cc) bowls with upright bowls (dd) bowl with composite silhouette (ee) goblet (ff, gg) bowls with upright walls (hh) plate. Not scaled.Figure 8.Shapes of late pre-Hispanic polychrome vessels with pictographic decoration from Cholula: (a, b, c) bi-conical vases (d) vase (e) goblet (f) tripod bowl with flaring walls (g) bowl with flaring walls (h) hemispherical bowl (i) plate (j, k) censers (l) composite silhouette basin (m) crater (n) bottle.Figure 9.Fine polychrome vessels from Cholula with pictographic decoration representing the “complex of the solar band”: (a) hemispherical bowl deposited at the Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (b) plate deposited at INAH-Puebla (c) crater deposited at INAH-Puebla.Figure 10.Fine polychrome vessels from Cholula with pictographic complexes with religious and ritual connotations: (a) vase referring to the cult of the ancestors deposited at INAH-Tlaxcala (b) vase referring to propitiation of agricultural fertility deposited at INAH-Tlaxcala (c) bi-conical vase referring to pulque and fertility deposited at Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (d) goblet referring to actions around warfare deposited at Universidad de las Américas-Puebla (e) censer referring to the invocation of Quetzalcoatl deposited at INAH-Puebla (f) plate referring to the invocation of powerful nahuales deposited at INAH-Tlaxcala.Figure 11.Fragments of ollas from the valley of Mexico with juncture marks showing that they were made using two or three horizontal molds as in pre-Hispanic times.Figure 12.Fragments of vessels made by wheel with compression rings on the interior of the walls.Figure 13.Fragments of early colonial Red Wares from the valley of Mexico.Figure 14.Fragments of early colonial Black-on-Orange wares from the valley of Mexico.Figure 15.Early colonial fine polychrome vessel with pictographic decoration from Cholula.Figure 16.Fragments of early colonial molcajetes with lead glaze from the valley of Mexico.Figure 17.Patterns of decoration on early colonial Black-on-Orange wares from the valley of Mexico: (a, b, c, d) molcajetes and tripod bowls (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 12) (e, f, g, k) molcajetes and tripod bowls (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig13) and (h, i, j, l) molcajetes (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 14)..Figure 18.Patterns of decoration on early colonial Red Wares from the valley of Mexico: (a, b) bowls with flared walls (based on Charlton et al. 1995:Fig. 6) (c) bowl with upright walls (based on Charlton et al. 1995:Fig. 5) (d) plate with interior decoration (based on Charlton et al. 1995:Fig. 8).Figure 19.Patterns of decoration on early colonial lead glazed wares from the valley of Mexico.Figure 20. Patterns of decoration on early colonial Majolica wares from the valley of Mexico (based on Lister and Lister 1987:Fig. 85).Figure 21.Shapes of early colonial serving vessels from the valley of Mexico: (a, b) ollas (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 68) (c) hemispherical bowl (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 69) (d) tripod molcajete (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 66) (e, f) tripod bowls (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 15) (g) plate (h, i) tripod bowls (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 23 Rodríguez Alegría 2002:Fig. A.1) (j, k, l, m) bowls (n) plate (o, p, q) goblets (based on Charlton et al. 2007:Fig. 26; Rodríguez Alegría 2002:Fig. A.1).Figure 22.Vessel shapes depicted in the Códice de los Alfareros de Cuauhtitlan with the names given in the document: (a) molcaxete para cacaos (b, c) alcarrazas (d) jarro (e, f) goblets without name in the document (g) plate with incisions on the bottom without name in the document (h) tinaja (i) pitcher without name in the document (j) alcarraza (k) bottle with lid without name in the document (l) alcarraza (m) jarro pichel (n) alcarraza (o, p, q) jarros (r) sugar bowl without name in the document (s) jarro como caracol (t) jarro la hechura como negrito (u) jarro (kidney-shape bowl with an appendage on the rim modelled as a Spanish man and two handles) (v) jarro (kidney-shape bowl with a plate -or a pedestal base- and two handles on the rim viewed from the top).Figure 23.Vessel shapes made with the potter’s wheel in the valley of Mexico: (a, b) bacín (c) bacinilla (d, e) lebrillo (f) cántaro (g) tinaja (h) orza (i) jarra (j) pitchel (k) hidroceramo (botija) (l) albarelo (m, n) plato (o) taza (p) pocillo (q) escudilla (based on Deagan 1987:Fig. 4.1).Figure 24.Process of clay preparation in Amozoc.Figure 25.Process of clay preparation in Huasca (Foto by Hermann Stützle).Figure 26.Process of vessel forming by molding.Figure 27.Ollas made with two vertical halve-molds in San Juanico.Figure 28.Process of vessel forming in Metepec (Foto by Hermann Stützle).Figure 29.Process of vessel forming in San Miguel Tenextatiloyan.Figure 30.Process of vessel forming in Amozoc (Foto by Hermann Stützle).Figure 31.Small factory for fine paste ceramics in Santa Cruz Texcoco.Figure 32.Lead glazed wares from central Mexico in the market of Sonora in Mexico City (Foto by Hermann Stützle).Figure 33.Application of greta on vessel before the second firing in Amozoc (Foto by Hermann Stützle). Figure 34.Process of surface finishing of vessels in Los Reyes Metzontla.Figure 35.Process of firing in Metepec (Foto by Hermann Stützle).Figure 36.Decoration of ollas in San Miguel Tenextatiloyan.Figure 37.Methods and styles of decoration in: (a) Amozoc (b) Metepec (c) Santa Cruz Texcoco (d) Santa María Canchesdá (e) Huasca and (f) Santiago Coachochitlan.Figure 38.Shapes of vessels made in Santa Cruz Texcoco.Figure 39.Cazuelas for mole during drying in a workshop in Amozoc.Figure 40.Ollas for piñatas in San Juanico.Figure 41. Artesanías manufactured in Los Reyes Metzontla. List of MapsMap 1.Map from central Mexico showing the places mentioned in the text.Map 2.Map from the valley of Mexico showing the places mentioned in the text. List of TablesTable 1.Indigenous vessels’ nomenclature in Nahuatl, English and Spanish registered in the tenth book of the Florentine codex (Sahagún 1961, X:83).