Mazapan-Style Figurines at El Palacio and Their Significance for Early Postclassic Regional Interactions in Northern Michoacan

Abstract

A series of figurines, known in the archaeological literature as Mazapan-style, was recently discovered at the site of El Palacio, Michoacan, Mexico, in strata radiocarbon dated from the Early Postclassic (a.d. 900–1200/1250). Considered diagnostic markers for Early Postclassic cultural and economic dynamics, these artifacts raise questions regarding the role of this settlement at both regional and interregional scales prior to the rise of the Tarascan state. We study the specimens found at El Palacio through a thorough examination of the archaeological contexts, technological and iconographic characteristics, and compare them to cases from the literature. By demonstrating their local production and their association with other artifacts or iconographic traits characteristic of the Early “Postclassic international style,” we bring new elements to the definition of these artifacts and underline the capacity of local elites to connect culturally and economically with other regions of Mesoamerica.

All That Glitters Is Not Plumbate: Diffusion and Imitation of Plumbate Pottery during the Early Postclassic Period (AD 900–1200) at the Malpaís of Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico

“…We saw earlier that several ceramic indications from the Early Postclassic (AD 900-1200) link the site of El Palacio to that of Tula. The discovery of Braseros San Antonio, Palacio Pulido Inciso, Plumbate, and comales type sherds associated with several fragments of Mazapa-style figurines (Forest et al 2019) indicates contacts with the Toltec culture. The region of Tula could have operated as a transit point for Plumbate between the regions of Soconusco and Zacapu.…”

“…The Braseros San Antonio type fragments ( Supplementary Figure 5d-e) found in UT52 also may have links with the Abra Coarse Brown braseros (see Supplementary Figure 5f; Cobean 1990:399-411). In addition, Plumbate type sherds and ceramic fragments of anthropomorphic Mazapa-style figurines (see Diehl 1983:106-110;Stocker 1974) associated with the Toltec culture were among the material from the test pit (Jadot 2016a;Forest et al 2019). Links between the material culture of north-central Michoacán and the region of Tula had already been pointed out by Michelet and Pereira (2000) for the Palacio ceramic complex; in particular, they established strong stylistic similarities (decorative technique and motifs) between the Hornos Rojo sobre Bayo type pottery ( Supplementary Figure 5g; Michelet 2013) Other elements from of the funerary adornments (Pereira 1999) also had similarities to the warrior paraphernalia depicted in Toltec iconography.…”

Las Cabras volcano, Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field, México: Topographic, climatic, and shallow magmatic controls on scoria cone eruptions

“…This latter area is of particular interest for assessing volcanic hazards, given the ~77000 inhabitants of the Zacapu municipality (INEGI, 2020;Reyes-Guzmán et al, 2021). It also hosts important archaeological sites of interest for constraining the development of pre-Hispanic civilizations in this formerly densely inhabited region (e.g., Michelet et al, 1989;Migeon, 1998;Arnauld and Faugère-Kalfon, 1998;Darras et al, 2017;Forest et al, 2019;Pereira et al, 2021). Reyes-Guzmán et al (2018) present a geological map, radiometric ages, and geochemical and petrographic data of the western sector of the Zacapu basin that includes Las Cabras volcano (Figure 2).…”