Technical Requirements and Technical Choices in Pottery Production: A View From the Middle Balsas Region of Guerrero, Mexico

This article evaluates current models of the influence of functionality and materials properties on pottery production as practiced by potters in the Middle Balsas Region of Guerrero, Mexico, during the Classic period (A.D. 300-900). The research was designed specifically to look for evidence of the influence of materials properties on pottery production in an archaeological context. Research results suggest that a specific clay deposit was selected deliberately by ancient Middle Balsas potters only when producing a subset of restricted vessels that were used for water storage. All other domestic vessels used in the Middle Balsas Region were produced from a variety of clay sources with no apparent link to vessel size, shape, or intended purpose. These production patterns endured with little appreciable change within the region for a time span of over a thousand years, from approximately 300 B.C. to A.D. 900.