The genus Capsicum is New World in origin and represents a complex of a wide variety of both wild and domesticated taxa. Peppers or fruits of Capsicum species rarely have been identified in the paleoethnobotanical record in either Meso- or South America. We report here confirmation of Capsicum sp. residues from pottery samples excavated at Chiapa de Corzo in southern Mexico dated from Middle to Late Preclassic periods (400 BCE to 300 CE). Residues from 13 different pottery types were collected and extracted using standard techniques. Presence of Capsicum was confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/MS-MS Analysis. Five pottery types exhibited chemical peaks for Capsicum when compared to the standard (dihydrocapsaicin). No peaks were observed in the remaining eight samples. Results of the chemical extractions provide conclusive evidence for Capsicum use at Chiapas de Corzo during a 700 year period (400 BCE–300 CE). Presence of Capsicum in different types of culinary-associated pottery raises questions how chili pepper could have been used during this early time period. As Pre-Columbian cacao products sometimes were flavored using Capsicum, the same pottery sample set was tested for evidence of cacao using a theobromine marker: these results were negative. As each vessel that tested positive for Capsicum had a culinary use we suggest here the possibility that chili residues from the Chiapas de Corzo pottery samples reflect either paste or beverage preparations for religious, festival, or every day culinary use. Alternatively, some vessels that tested positive merely could have been used to store peppers. Most interesting from an archaeological context was the presence of Capsicum residue obtained from a spouted jar, a pottery type previously thought only to be used for pouring liquids.

Resumen: El presente estudio investiga las formas multifacéticas en que los límites políticos y las barreras sociales fueron definidos y mantenidos en la frontera occi dental de la región lingüística y cultural maya. Las comparaciones del intercambio de diferentes bienes y medios pueden resaltar el grado en el que las barreras cultu rales fueron permeables o impenetrables en la zona fronteriza entre los mayaha blantes de tzotzil de los Altos de Chiapas y sus vecinos hablantes de zoque de la Depresión Central. Las relaciones de intercambio entre ellos parecen haber sido suspendidas al final del período Postclásico Temprano, sugiriendo que la permeabi lidad de la frontera occidental decreció a lo largo del tiempo, posiblemente como resultado de la llegada y expansión de los chiapanecas a la Depresión Central. Sin embargo, algunos tipos de artefactos de alto valor, como los ornamentos de metal, continuaron siendo intercambiados en esta frontera cultural.PalabRas clave: fronteras, intercambio, mayas, Chiapas, cerámica.abstRact: This study investigates the multifaceted ways that political borders and so cial boundaries were defined and maintained along the western frontier of the Maya linguistic and cultural area. Comparisons between the exchange of different goods and resources can highlight the degree to which cultural boundaries were porous or impermeable in the frontier zone between the Tzotzil-speaking Maya populations of Highland Chiapas and the Zoque and Chiapanec-speaking groups of the Central Depression. Exchange relationships between the Highland Maya and neighboring Zoque-speaking populations appear to have been mostly discontinued by the end of the Early Postclassic period, suggesting that the porosity of the western frontier decreased over time, possibly resulting from the arrival and expansion of the Chia panecs in the Central Depression. However, a few types of high-value luxury items, such as metal ornaments, continued to be exchanged across cultural frontiers.

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The final stage in the life history of prehistoric pottery prior to archaeological recovery is usually the longest, and frequently the most dynamic. The remains of archaeological ceramics spend hundreds to thousands of years deposited within the upper layers of the earth’s crust where they encounter the same diagenetic environmental processes as the surrounding natural materials. Harsh conditions of subterranean environments induce physical stresses and chemical reactions, causing alterations of ceramic structure and composition. This is especially true of carbonate-rich ceramics, as carbonate phases are soluble when deposited within acidic environments. This paper examines common carbonate depletion and accretion effects of post-depositional environments on ancient ceramics from two rather different geological and archaeological contexts: Mesoamerica and the Mediterranean. Potters in both regions produce vessels with carbonate-rich materials—clays, calcite, limestone—that alter due to long exposure to low-pH sediments and continual water table fluctuations. Ceramic petrography is employed to identify traces of carbonate alterations within ceramic microstructure and to characterize fabrics. Elemental compositions of the same sherds are characterized through either scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and optical emission spectrometry (ICP-MS/OES) or neutron activation analysis (NAA). This method enabled comparison of the differing effects of post-depositional alteration of carbonate phases on bulk composition signatures commonly used to determine provenance.

This article presents evidence for the shifting economic networks and cultural relationships between the Jovel Valley of highland Chiapas, and the Gulf Coast lowlands. In particular, we examine material culture of Gulf Coast origin or influence at the hilltop monumental centre of Moxviquil during the Late Classic (ad 600–900) and Early Postclassic (ad 900–1250) periods. These artifacts include a fine orange cylindrical pedestal vase, two examples of ‘portable sculpture’, two anthropomorphic incense burner lids and a whistle (ocarina) in the shape of a kneeling woman. The patterns of curation and disposal of these objects at Moxviquil suggests differences in the way that Gulf Coast-referencing objects were incorporated into social memory and ritual behaviour.