Figurines offer archaeologists intriguing insights into many aspects of prehistoric culture. Beyond their utility as chronological markers, figurines offer information regarding the social and cultural structures of a society. This paper will demonstrate how the figurines of Michoacan can be used as markers of ethnic identity and ethnic continuity in the Lake Patzcauro Basin. The high degree of continuity in decorative and production styles throughout much of the sequence serves as evidence for ethnic continuity and the identity of the people who made the artifacts. A preliminary typology for the Michoacan figurines is presented to support the idea that a distinctly Michoacan style of figurine exists. The application of this figurine typology reveals a high degree of continuity in the figurine record. This supports the hypothesis that the ethnic origins of the Michoacan people may reach back as far as the Late Preclassic/Early Classic period.
This dissertation seeks to explore the complex issue of ethnic identity in the context of Classic period Mesoamerica at the urban center of Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan, located in the central highlands region of Mexico, has revealed invaluable information regarding the nature of the formation and maintenance of ethnicity and ethnic identity during the Classic period. During its peak, Teotihuacan housed a number of foreign populations, including groups with ties to Oaxaca, the Gulf Coast, the Maya region, and Michoacán. While evidence for the first three is well documented, the Michoacán presence at Teotihuacan has been for less straightforward. The major goal of this research was to explore the complex nature of this presence at Teotihuacan with regards to the N1W5:19 structure which was identified as having housed a potentially ethnic Michoacán presence between 350-650 CE. Based on excavations from 1991, this analysis uses both the household and burial assemblages as points of evidence for the formation and maintenance of a Michoacán identity at Teotihuacan. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES…..……………………………………………………..……………..ix LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………….x
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