Salt-making and pottery production in central Mexico: adaptations in craft specialization in Late pre-Columbian times

Resum 

S’han descobert antics llocs de producció de sal a la part meridional de l’estat de Puebla, Mèxic (1200-1550 dC), amb un ús extens de briquetage, que són objecte d’un estudi a llarg termini sobre les variants tecnològiques d’aquesta producció. Presentem aquí nous detalls sobre els artefactes d’argila del briquetage i la seva cadena de producció, ús i abandonament, associats amb l’última fase de l’ebullició de la salmorra, així com algunes comparacions amb altres regions del centre de Mèxic.

Abstract

Ancient salt production localities discovered in the southern part of the State of Puebla, Mexico (1200-1550 CE), with extensive use of briquetage, are the subject of a long-term study on the technological variants of this production. We present here new details of the clay artifacts of briquetage and their chain of production, use and discard, associated with the last stage of brine boiling, and some comparisons with other regions of central Mexico.

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