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Plants and Domestic Archaeology in Mesoamerica

by Annette Baus

Domestic archaeology is a label for the physical structure of the house itself as well as the
group of people sharing most aspects of everyday life, i. e. the household (Hendon & Joyce
2003). The wide range that is implied by Hendon & Joyce (2003) and the required briefness
of this essay make it necessary to concentrate on a special aspect of our lecture ‘Domestic
Archaeology in Mesoamerica’. I will therefore concentrate on the interaction between plants
and households. We will see that there is an input and influence on architecture, diet, social
differentiation and so on.

Mesoamerica, being the land bridge between the Nearctic of North America and the
Neotropic of South America which are the world’s greatest biogeographic regions, is among
the biologically most diverse areas on our whole planet (Conservation International, Mexico
and Central American Program 2004). There are 33 ecoregions in Mesoamerica, including
coastal-marine, rainforests, cloud forests, dry forests and pine forests. The archaeologically
most important regions are the highlands with tropical vegetation. The variety of distinct
plants provided by these ecozones is reflected by different use in architecture, different staple
foods and diets, different agricultural techniques and so forth.

Use in Architecture/Construction Material

Construction material not only depends on the material available; various architectural
expressions mirror also different social stratigraphy. Whereas more stone is used in the living
area of the nobility; considerably more wattle-and-daub architecture was used in less
privileged areas, at least in the Classic and Post-Classic Period. Thus in El Canál housegroups
consist of more wattle-and-daub houses than apartment compounds. At Altar de Sacrificios,
wattle-and-daub constructions and postholes occur regularly during the Formative Period
(Willey 1973:23, 1990:193). In San José Mogote (Formative Period) the wall posts consisted
of pine, intertwined with cane and hold together with rope. This mirrors the available material
in the Oaxacan highlands where pine woods were abundant.
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Thatching material consisted of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) in the case of San
José Mogote. Even reed mats on house floors could be identified.
Other architectural features in connection with plants are storage pits (barrel or bell shaped
pits with stone caps) whose bases were outlined with grasses and other plant material,
granaries, and hearths for food preparation.

Plants, or rather their representations, are used in murals as can be seen in the apartment
compounds of Teotihuacán. Although fine murals were not common in apartment compounds
- many walls were only white-plastered - some are nevertheless exquisitely painted like the
flowering tree motifs in Tepantitla-Teotihuacán:
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or the Tlalocan mural from Yayahuala-Teotihuacán with a flowering prickly pear (Opuntia
phaeacantha).

It can also well be imagined that the latticework on the façades of palaces and temples
represent mats and fabrics turned to stone:
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Food Production and Consummation

Food production indicated by manos, one-handed grinding stones, and

metates, runner stones, took already place in the Archaic Period. Early
domesticated Cucurbita pepo is dating back to 10, 000 years cal BP in
Guilá Naquitz (Smith 1997, Smith 2001). For maize the oldest date is
from Guilá Naquitz, too and dates to 6 300 cal BP. But only from about
3 500 BC onwards we can regularly find domesticates like runner beans
(Phaseolus coccineus), Agave (Agavae sp.), prickly pears (Opuntia
phaeacantha), and bottle gourd (Lagenaria Siceraria).
The arid caves of North Mexico like Tamaulipas are a
good example for this period of time but there are also
a few highland sites. They offer a unique possibility to
study macrobotanical remains and coprolites. The
Tehuacán caves for example show that as early as the
Early Archaic imported avocado was used alongside a
wide variety of wild plants of the immediate vicinity.
In the following Coxcatlán phase more plants were
brought in like white and black sapote (Casimiroa
edulis and Diospyros digyna resp.) and coyol palm
(Acrocomia mexicana).

From the Formative Period onwards Mesoamerican staple food consisted of the maize-beans-
sqash trinity. The different mechanisms of food preparation can be seen in usage of different
ceramic types. Thus tepontlas (cooking pots) of San Martín were used for cooking maize
gruel, comales on the other hand for tortilla baking. There was a relatively sudden change in
diet in Teotihuacán where tepontlas were in usage till AD 100. From then on comales
dominated the ceramic inventory, signifying a change in maize consummation practices.

Other ceramics indicating specific plants or their preparations are amphoras for pulque or
braseros for copal.
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A unique opportunity is offered through El Cerén where residues were ash covered due to
volcanic activities. The resulting conservation of plant remains could even tell us that there
was a surplus production of food.

The problem of communal feasting is more difficult to address. An analysis of the ceramic
inventory as well as palaeobotanical studies in public courtyards, palaces, and cenotes is
highly desirable.

Diet as well as the composition of food remains and ceramics in houses is also an expression
of wealth. Hence the study of food remains in houses also gives us a clue to the social
stratigraphy in a certain community.

Production Areas

An essential part of every household is food procurement areas. Food production was partially
done inside the house but when climate permits a substantial part was done outside which is
documented by e. g. lime residues in maize preparation areas or the presence of metates. The
fact that a substantial part of the everyday life happened outside the actual building makes
attempts to estimate population numbers by roofed floor-areas as developed by Naroll (1962)
for the Levante in the 60s and applied on Mesoamerica by Flannery (1972) in the 70s difficult
and it is nearly impossible to compare roofed floor-areas of houses in areas that are
climatically and by tradition different from Mesoamerica with Mesoamerican floor-areas.

A second plant related activity set was the manufacture of fabrics. Only in rare occasions this
can be verified by the fabric itself due to preservation problems. However, dry caves in North
Mexico again show us that as early as the Archaic Period different plant fibres were used for
production of cordage, sandals, baskets, and mats as can be seen in Coahuila or Guilá
Naquitz. Sometimes we can also find impressions of fabrics on ceramics when the clay pots
were put on mats for drying as in caves in Tehuacán of the Formative Period and more rarely
even waterlogged textiles and basketry are preserved as is the case of the cenote of Chichen
Itzá. Some excavations yield replicas gained by casting. Thus it was possible to reconstruct a
two-ply braided twine from Cerén together with the fibre supplying maquey plant.
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It is believed that cotton was used exclusively for the nobility and most everyday textiles were
produced from agave fibres. In any case the fibres were spun, dyed with cochineal lice or a
variety of vegetable dyes, and subsequently spun on backstrap looms. From figurines, painted
pottery, or reliefs we know about the elaborate dress of the elite.
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To more closely connect fibre and textile making with an area in a household we can make
usage of textile production linked tools like spindle weights or bone needles.

Ceramic figurines and painted pottery show women engaged in the production of textiles and
foodstuffs. Hence the data gained from these production centres allows also a thorough study
of the role of gender in Mesoamerican society.

Plants and Ritual

Plants played a big role in ritual activities since a lot of alcoholic beverages and psychoactive
substances are based on plants: pulque, made from maguey, peyote from the cactus
Lophophora williamsi, Datura (Tagetes patula), but also cacao. How much non-elite
households are involved in the manufacturing of such beverages and drugs is as far as I know
not known.
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Plants and Religion

Independently from how large and complex a state is, there will always be a good deal of
village-level religion ranging from ancestor worshipping to expressions of state religion.
In ancient Mesoamerica gods were often associated with different plants. These gods were not
only worshipped in temples but also in private households. Thus motifs like the cosmic tree,
the Mayan maize god Yum Kaax, who was associated with life and prosperity, or the Aztec
flower god Xochipilli appear on altars, murals, ceramics etc.
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The spatial distribution of censers in Teotihuacán is also of interest as they tend to be

favoured in certain sectors of a compound and associated with cult storage rooms and
courtyards.
The presence of these cult elements, and the identification of areas where ritual activities took
place, can lead to ideas of how the domestic cults and rituals were carried out in everyday life.
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Households and Gardens

Gardens were not only used in communal or elite context as for instance gardens in ball game
courts.

Many households have probably owned their own kitchen garden. However, little information
is available on the relationship between households and gardens. Although some unique
opportunities exist like in Cerén, where volcanic ash preserved even the organic material of
gardens and fields. Ethnobotanical studies, too would be helpful to broaden our knowledge on
this still neglected field of study.

Conclusion

As we can see there is a large variety of information concerning domestic archaeology that
can be obtained from plants. Still ethnobotanical studies are only recently accounted for in
archaeological excavations. Not only is there a lack of information concerning horticulture in
domestic kitchen gardens or analysis of residues in ceramic vessels but also more
investigation on the role of plants in markets – of which Tenochtitlan owned at least five with
a permanent principal one in Tlateloco - and trade as well as plants and their role in gender
studies should be made an imperative in Mesoamerican archaeological research.