Ritual crafting, power and the organization of shell ornament production at Cerro de Trinhceras, Sonora, Mexico

This project uses data collected from the prehistoric town of Cerro de Trincheras, Sonora, Mexico to examine how ritual stimulates production and status differentiation among domestic groups in small-scale societies. Specifically, I profile how Trincheras households approach labor organization associated with the production of marine shell ornaments based on the degree to which domestic practices align with one or more of three modes of ritual crafting (Spielmann 2002). The three modes include production that supports: (a) direct participation by crafting families in ritual, (b) generalized crafting for community-wide ritual performances, or (c) crafting as a pathway to power and authority.;Six lines of evidence are used to infer the three modes: (1) access to differentially valued raw materials used in production, (2) ornament type and use contexts, (3) item design and production complexity, (4) distance of residential terraces relative to the site's communal ritual features, (5) the degree to which households manufacture composite craft items (e.g. shell fringed leather goods, embellished cloth, beaded necklaces), and (6) the degree to which shell crafting is spatially segregated from other activities. In addition, I profile each group in terms of the esoteric production knowledge associated with the manufacture of specific ornament forms derived from genus Conus versus Glycymeris. Esoteric production knowledge refers to uncommon knowledge related to the manufacturing process that may or may not have ritual connotations (Hruby 2007: 71). Conus and Glycymeris vary in their physical properties, chemical structure and native habitats. These differences created unique opportunities for local craftspeople to develop esoteric production knowledge.;The combined data reveal distinctions in how Trincherenos organized shell ornament production during the el Cerro phase (AD 1300-1450). Analysis supports the heterarchical expression of power. Sampled groups vary in their combination and expression of esoteric production knowledge. Partly, this stems from domestic variation in participation in ritual networks at Cerro de Trincheras. Contrary to expectations, all three pathways provided avenues for the expression of power and social differentiation. The last 50 years of the site's occupation, however, may mark a significant transformation in these relations centered on rituals held at the site's summit.