Food, eating and objects of power: Class stratification and ceramic production and consumption in colonial Mexico

In this dissertation I examine the role of material culture in the reproduction and transformation of power. Specifically, I examine the role of ceramics in strategies of display among Spanish colonizer families (and to a lesser extent among indigenous families) in sixteenth-century Mexico, and the link between ceramic production and the search for power in colonial society.; In sixteenth-century Mexico, the use of pottery in the daily lives of people sometimes supported the power of the Spanish empire by giving material expression to the identities that kept Spanish colonizers separate from indigenous people and emphasized the desired superior social rank of the Spanish. At the same time, the power of the Empire was often undermined by cultural practices and material that served the immediate interests of the people involved in the same relationships of power that could potentially benefit imperial interests. Archaeological deposits in Spanish houses in Mexico City include large amounts of Aztec-tradition serving vessels and European and Asian imports as well. A study of the relative frequencies of serving vessels in Spanish houses reveals different patterns of use of Aztec Red Ware among Spanish colonizers. Such patterns are evidence of differential incorporation of indigenous products into Spanish houses, and different strategies of display among Spanish families. While some families strongly preferred European tableware, others incorporated indigenous products into their daily lives.; A study of the chemical composition of colonial ceramics by neutron activation analysis (NAA) and laser ablation plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) indicates that the production of ceramic serving vessels among colonial Nahuas did not suffer major changes in its geographic organization after the conquest. Furthermore, indigenous potters did not begin producing ceramics in imitation of the surface finish, color, and decoration of European tableware. This is in contrast with historically documented changes in agricultural production and the production of other crafts in the Basin of Mexico that accompanied the conquest. In sum, this project underscores the many strategies of Spanish colonizers in the sixteenth century, and the varied reaction of indigenous people to the colonial situation.