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Donut Stones as Thigh-Supported Spindle Whorls: Evidence of Ancient Maya Household Yarn and Cordage Production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

John J. Tomasic
John J. Tomasic*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 ([email protected])
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Abstract

Donut stones are a relatively common class of ground stone artifact found at archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica and Andean South America, and a variety of functional interpretations have been proposed for these artifacts. In this article, ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological data are presented along with the results of replicative experiments in support of an argument that some donut stones from the Maya Highlands and Southern Lowlands may have functioned as whorls for a previously unrecognized type of thigh-supported spindle. Based on a functional interpretation of donut stones as thigh-supported spindle whorls, these artifacts can potentially be used to provide insight into the nature of ancient Maya household yarn and cordage production.

La “piedra dona” es una clase de artefacto que es relativamente común en los sitios arqueológicos de Mesoamérica y el área Andina de Sudamérica, y se han propuesto varias interpretaciones funcionales con respecto a su uso. En este artículo se presentarán datos etnográficos, etnohistóricos y arqueológicos, así como resultados de experimentos que sugieren que algunas “piedras dona” en las Tierras Altas Mayas y las Tierras Bajas del Sur pudieron haber funcionado como pesos o soportes para husos. Basándose en la interpretación de las “piedras dona” como soportes para husos, estos artefactos pueden ser usados como evidencia de producción de hilo y cuerda a nivel doméstico.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 215 - 228
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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