A ceramic perspective on the formative to classic transition in Southern Veracruz, Mexico

For any particular historical circumstance, explanations of ceramic evoluti on should consider the performance characteristics of pottery vessels in th eir behavioral contexts, as well as the varying effects of evolutionary pro cesses operating at different social, spatial, and temporal scales. The rep lacement of tempered black and differentially fired serving vessels by fine -paste wares during the Formative to Classic transition in the Sierra de lo s Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico illustrates these points. New radiocarbon assay s from the Bezuapan site document the rapidity of this transition. Evaluati on of visual performance characteristics and contextual associations sugges t that the Tuxtlas fine-paste tradition began as a Late Formative prestige technology. Adoption of updraft kilns in the Terminal Formative period lowered the risk of firing losses and allowed savings in paste preparation and resource pro curement costs to be realized. As a result, the fine-paste tradition spread to wider segments of society, ultimately replacing earlier traditions. A v olcanic eruption at the close of the Formative period and subsequent immigr ation of Central Mexican settlers constituted evolutionary sorting mechanis ms, which perturbed general trends in ceramic evolution within a restricted area of the central Tuxtlas.