The emergence of the Triple Alliance empire and the consolidation of political power in the Basin of Mexico is traditionally associated with a high level of economic integration achieved through regional market exchange. Although researchers debate whether the market system was dominated by commercial factors or political forces, the assumption that the pax azteca led to a single, basin-wide exchange system is not generally challenged. Yet an increasing number of stylistic and compositional analyses indicate that significant regional subdivisions existed within the Aztec core, although the spatial scale, nature, and significance of these systems remains poorly understood. This study contributes to the body of evidence suggesting that economic divisions existed under the Triple Alliance, by presenting spatial patterning in Aztec Red Wares f guinda or rojo pulido) ceramics. By combining both stylistic and compositional analyses of this ceramic ware, it is possible to demonstrate both the strength of economic divisions as well as map their boundaries for a significant portion of the Basin. The regional patterns in artifact distribution highlighted in this and prior studies underscore the complexity of exchange interactions that evolved under Aztec rule and which must be explained by future models of the Aztec market system. El ascenso del imperio de la Triple Alianza y la consolidación del poder político en la Cuenca de México se asocia tradicionalmente con un nivel alto de la integración económica lograda por el intercambio regional del mercado. Aunque investigadores debatan si el sistema del mercado fue dominado por factores comerciales o fuerzas políticas, la suposición que la pax azteca llevó a solo uno sistema de intercambio en la cuenca no es desafiada generalmente. Pero un cuerpo de análisis estilísticos y composicionales indica que subdivisiones regionales existieron dentro del centro azteca, aunque la escala espacial, el caracter, y el significado de estos sistemas se queden mal entendidos. Este estudio contribuye al cuerpo de evidencia que sugiere que divisiones económicas existieron bajo la Alianza Triple, por presentación de patrones espaciales en la distribución de la cerámica azteca tipo rojo pulido o guinda. Combinando análisis estilísticos y composicionales de estos tipos de cerámica, es posible demostrar ambos la fortaleza de divisiones económicas así como mapear sus límites para una porción significativa de la Cuenca. Los patrones regionales en la distribución de artefactos destacados en este estudio y en estudios anteriores subrayan la complejidad de las interacciones del intercambio que se desarrollaron bajo el imperio azteca y que se deben explicar por modelos del sistema mercadero azteca en el futuro.
Latin American Antiquity is a quarterly journal devoted to special reports on archaeology, prehistory, and ethnohistory in Mesoamerica, Central America, South America, and culturally related areas.
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Latin American Antiquity
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