Teotihuacan neighborhoods’ expansion in Northwestern Mexico. Cultural implications and social processes from ceramic analysis of El Mezquital-Los Azules, Guanajuato

Abstract From the beginning of our era, the multi-ethnic capital of the central plateau, Teotihuacan, served as a great religious center and a hub for artisanal production and consumption. By AD 200, Teotihuacan entered a phase of expansion, which took different forms depending on the quality of resources and the political importance of the particular regions to which its influence spread. This paper examines the specific role of one site located along a key trade route in north central Mexico. Our study utilizes a multi-method approach, combining typological, archaeometric (NAA and petrography) and iconographic data from ceramics from the site of El Mezquital- Los Azules (Guanajuato) to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of the Teotihuacan expansion in Northwestern Mexico. The results of these ceramic analyses allow us to distinguish imports from imitations, and provide a better understanding of the possible messages conveyed by the iconography of the imitations. Based upon our findings, we argue that this commercial staging post was an emanation of the neighborhoods of Teotihuacan, and was integrated in its constantly evolving social fabric.