Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: William J. Toman
Taken: September 4, 2010
Caption: Ceramics Marker
Additional Description: Pottery is the most commonly found artifact at Aztalan, in part because when you drop a pot, you get a lot of pieces: Also, sedentary villagers relied on ceramic technology far more than people who moved a lot. Archaeologists find pottery especially important because distinctive styles and forms allow one to distinguish between cultures -- each culture tends to produce its own specific ceramic styles.

At Aztalan, we find pottery associated with both Late Woodland and Mississippian cultures. Although Late Woodland is slightly older, there is a period of time when the two overlap. Co-occurrence of two styles has confused interpretations. Were there two occupations? Did Mississippians overrun Late Woodland folks? Late Woodland pottery is most common at Aztalan. The exterior finish on Late Woodland pottery is cordmarked, and decoration is generally sparse. In contrast, Mississippian pottery includes bowls, jars, plates, bottles, and beakers, with smooth and sometimes polished exteriors, often including designs formed by incised lines.

We think that two separate groups of [illegible] Aztalan from places to the south, in [illegible].
Submitted: September 29, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.
Database Locator Identification Number: p129996
File Size: 3.820 Megabytes

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