Analysis of the Different Regions of Metallurgical Work in Oaxaca in the Late Post-Classic: Origin and Change
Metal objects made a late appearance in the cultural area of Mesoamerica, especially in the western and southern regions of Mexico and on the Yucatán peninsula. Arriving around 800 A.D., these objects were introduced from other cultural areas, such as Central America and the Andean region. But their arrival in Mesoamerica marked a key moment that eventually resulted in certain places in this zone undertaking the development of their own methods for working metals. In this regard, western Mexico and the area of Oaxaca stand out. Today, the state of Oaxaca is divided into eight regions, some of which, during the Late Post-Classic period, were characterized by the manufacture of a variety of artifacts rich in gold. While around eighty per cent of the gold artifacts extant today are associated with the Mixtec culture, other groups were also active in creating metal objects in distinct regions of Oaxaca. The objective of this study is to identify the different manufacturing areas of metal objects in Oaxaca, and to demonstrate the different metallurgical traditions adopted by the metalworkers in the elaboration of their pieces. Thus, our interest centers, first, on associating each group or region with the metallurgical tradition to which it gave rise, and then establishing the subsequent development in each region, in an attempt to explain why and how this phenomenon occurred. To fulfill this objective our study is based on non-destructive analyses that have been conducted with diverse collections of metal objects from Oaxaca, on historical and geological data associated with this state, earlier material studies, and comparisons with objects that are considered similar, such as those from Mexica collections.