State pottery production in the Inka provinces.

Abstract

Archaeological studies of administered or sponsored craft production often emphasize the desires of ruling elites to control the manufacture of goods with economic or political significance. However, the ways in which control can vary and the implications for archaeological interpretation have rarely been addressed. Likewise, the producer's role in determining the conditions of service or the technology and organization of production has been neglected or minimized. This study examines the administered production of pottery in the Inka state. Ethnohistorical accounts indicate that groups of potters were recruited by the Inka to fulfill the labor tribute obligations of their home polities. They were resettled by the state, either in separate enclaves or at other state settlements. Based on previous approaches to administered production, the aggregation of producers could be interpreted as an attempt to maximize control over producers and the manufacturing process, and to increase production through economies of scale. The expected result would be the mass production of standardized goods in styles dictated by the state. Subsequently, the presence and policies of the state in the provinces could be inferred by mapping out the frequency and distribution of Inka style pottery. Close examination of ethnohistoric cases of state pottery settlements, and archaeological fieldwork at Inka workshops in the Leche Valley, on the North Coast of Peru demonstrate that state production was much more complex. In most cases, potters continued to work in the work groups in which they were recruited, and were not reorganized into a single, task-specialized unit. In addition, at the Leche Valley and other state workshops, potters made Inka style wares but manufactured pottery in their traditional styles and hybrid styles as well. Also, Inka style pottery was made using traditional technologies, though some techniques may have been introduced by the state. It is proposed that the kinds of pottery produced in Inka workshops in the provinces depended on state demands, the abilities and traditions of recruited potters, and the particular relationship of conquered polities and local elites with the state.