Postclassic ceramics from La Laguna, Tlaxcala, Mexico

Abstract

This thesis presents an analysis of the Epiclassic and Postclassic period ceramic assemblages from the site of La Laguna, Tlaxcala, Mexico. Almost all of the sherds come from Feature 185, a sheet midden context deposited in c. 1200 CE. During this period, central Mexico was not dominated by a single polity, but the many smaller altepemeh (central Mexican city-states) were tied together economically and culturally. This interconnected system has been described as the Postclassic International World System by Smith and Berdan (2000; 2003). Although La Laguna was a small rural settlement on the periphery of this society, the wares and iconography present in the ceramic assemblage show that its inhabitants were involved with the regional economic and intellectual interactions of the time. I present the assemblage in terms of ware, vessel form, and iconography, and suggest avenues for future research on Postclassic ceramics in Tlaxcala.