Excavation of an Obsidian Craft Workshop at Teotihuacan, Mexico

Excavations at Teotihuacan's Compound 17 confirm the presence of a large-scale obsidian craft production workshop during the Classic period, validating surface-based identifications as reliable indicators of craft activity. This study, conducted by the Teotihuacan Mapping Project (TMP), addresses skepticism raised by Clark (1986b) regarding the accuracy of such surface remains. Through subsurface testing, researchers uncovered significant lithic technology debris, providing direct evidence of in situ obsidian craft production. While this is a single test case, the findings suggest that surface concentrations can be effectively used to identify craft production areas when substantiated by further excavation.

Hirth, K. G., Carballo, D. M., Dennison, M., Carr, S., Imfeld, S., & Dyrdahl, E. (2019). EXCAVATION OF AN OBSIDIAN CRAFT WORKSHOP AT TEOTIHUACAN, MEXICO. Ancient Mesoamerica, 30(1), 163–179. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0956536118000561