Polychrome Pottery

In Amazonian archaeological discussion the concept of tradition presupposes a keen connection between pottery styles and specific language groups. Multicultural traditions or transcultural adaptions are often pushed aside. Denise Schaan returned to the concept of horizon in order to explain a number of archaeological phenomena from a wide geographical and chronological perspective. Also in this study the concept of Polychrome Horizon is used, but it is divided between Early and Late Polychrome Horizons. At the same time an entirely new area, eastern Acre, and its archaeological sub-tradition Tequinho, dated 50BC-AD200 with its polychrome pottery, are brought into the discussion. Tequinho is situated in the interfluvial terra firme environment, and by its geographic position mediated contacts between the headwaters of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Madeira rivers.

This thesis presents the results of analyses conducted on 80 ceramic vessels from the Casas Grandes region (Chihuahua, Mexico) currently housed at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). This collection, most of which was donated in 1977, was accompanied with little to no provenience information, and no research has been conducted on the materials since they came to the Museum. Drawing upon published studies of Casas Grandes pottery, a detailed coding scheme was developed in order to record formal and stylistic data that could be used to classify the vessels typologically and chronologically. Fifteen different ceramic types dating to the Viejo and Medio Periods (AD 700-1475) were identified. Iconographic analysis was also conducted to determine the stylistic patterning represented in the collection, thus allowing it to be compared to similar collections at other institutions in the United States, several of which were visited as part of my research. This thesis demonstrates the significant insights that can be gained by analyzing unprovenienced museum collections. It also will allow the Casas Grandes collection to be used at
the Museum or in the Milwaukee community for research, programming, and/or exhibition.