Basic Mesoamerican Stone-Working: Nodule Smashing?

Abstract

While lithic studies in Mesoamerica have dealt thoroughly with the prismatic blade reduction strategy and with heavily retouched specimens, little of interpretive value has been done with the ill-defined, irregular, little modified blakes and chunks that usually constitute the bulk of Preclassic lithic assemblages. These ignored items are here dealt with by means of a nodule-smashing perspective that incorporates such categories as smash flake, secondary multiple flake, pseudo-burin de Siret, bipolar flake and pièce esquillée. Obsidian and non-obsidian collections from several Basin of Mexico sites with Preclassic levels appear to be predominantly the result of nodule-smashing, only 10% or so of the obsidian being prismatic blades. It is suggested that local villagers smash nodules to provide serviceable flake tools but do not themselves manufacture blades.