PETROGRAPHIC AND CHEMICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE PRODUCTION OF MUNA SLATE WARES

This paper provides information on recent petrographic and chemical analyses of Muna Slate Ware ceramics. These ceramics date to the Terminal Classic period (800-1000 AD) of Mayan prehistory. Muna Slate is the predominant slipped ware during the Terminal Classic, and ceramics of this type are found in virtually every archaeological context dating to this time period. Until now, however, little research on the production, distribution, and consumption of Muna Slate Wares has been conducted. The research presented here consists of a point count analysis of thin sections of Muna Slates, supplemented by chemical characterizations performed with an electron microprobe. Interpreted through a ceramic ecological framework, these data are used to assess recent competing views of the scale and organization of Muna Slate production.